Verstappen had expressed concerns about his race pace after qualifying.
“We had a very decent run throughout the whole weekend, lap after lap,” he said. “So far I'm not happy with my long runs. The pace wasn't what I wanted.
“So, it's a bit of a question mark because if you look at the long runs, especially the Ferraris, they looked very comfortable. Maybe they weren't that fast today for one lap, but they were definitely fast for the long runs. We'll have to see how it goes in the race.
“We made some changes after the third practice so we hope it works. I hope the car is improved compared to P3. Otherwise it will be difficult for us. It’s going to be a race.”
His rivals were not convinced. Lando Norris, third on the grid for McLaren, said: “Realistically speaking, it's still too far to challenge them. They're too fast for us. Yes, we're faster (relatively).” He spoke for everyone. That's true in qualifying, but usually in the race they always pull away a little bit more. ”
The Red Bulls are already in the expected finish position, and the biggest entertainment is expected to be the battle between Norris and those just behind him.
Norris was comfortably faster than the fourth-placed Ferrari of Carlos Sainz in one lap, but it may not be the same over long distances.
Behind Sainz, Fernando Alonso was impressed with the upgraded Aston Martin, stating that he felt his pace was “unexpected” in the session and declaring himself “happy and proud”. But he is worried that he will fall back from his high qualifying position as the car's true pace becomes clearer in the race.
“If you look back at the first three races, we were strong in qualifying but not in the race,” Alonso said. “If we are overtaken by Mercedes, I think this is normal and we will get back to our position.”
Behind him are McLaren's Oscar Piastri and Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton, both of whom Sainz believes will be “in the fight”.