Verstappen surprised as Red Bull halves gap to Mercedes

Red Bull locked out the third row of the grid for Sunday's Formula 1 Barcelona Grand Prix. Max Verstappen appeared to be in contention for pole position after two sectors, but saw his grip disappear in the last part of the lap, an issue many drivers struggled with due to overheating tyres.

"I think it was a decent qualifying session for us," Verstappen reflected afterwards, surprised by how much Red Bull had reduced the gap to Mercedes.