Verstappen hopes for rain in Melbourne for qualifying: Will his wish be granted?

Max Verstappen has made a strong start to his 2018 season. The 20-year-old finished his first day of testing just a tenth off the benchmark set by Lewis Hamilton (+0’127″ precisely), with 34 laps under his belt. All in all, a respectable start to the season, promising a great continuation of the weekend.

« It’s a positive start » he summarized at the journalists’ microphone. « It’s always difficult to gauge your performance level after the private tests in Barcelona. But I’m happy with my day. Our race pace seems interesting. Even if there is room for improvement, the car worked well. »

Turned towards the first qualifying session of the year, Max Verstappen is simply invoking rain as a potential aid. Disadvantaged by the top speed of his machine (as he has been since joining Red Bull in 2016), the native of Hasselt believes that a wet track would increase his chances of achieving a great result.

Rain can help us by making engine power difficult to control. Our car is usually good in the rain, which I like. I hope it rains tomorrow!

What are the latest weather forecasts?

After the sunshine on Friday, it’s time for rain! For the qualifiers, forecasters are indicating a 60% chance of rain for Saturday. Thunderstorms and some gusts of wind are particularly expected just before and at the beginning of the qualifying session, scheduled from 5 PM local time (7 AM Paris time). It should be noted that these showers are expected to gradually ease during the session, likely giving drivers the chance to finish the session on Saturday.

No rain expected, however, for the third practice session, held from 2 p.m. in Melbourne.

For the race, the risk of rain falls to 25% this time. Passing showers are mainly expected in the morning in Melbourne, a few hours before the drivers take their place on the starting line.