Pole-sitter Verstappen on track limits: 'Was surprised by it'

"It was very difficult with all the track limits. We don't do this on purpose, but with these speeds and high-speed corners it's so hard to judge the white line," Verstappen said in conversation with Jolyon Palmer on the grid after qualifying. "You could see a lot of people being caught out by it, including me. So, it was about surviving."

Friday went well for Red Bull, but Verstappen knows he has nothing yet. The points will not be distributed until Saturday and Sunday. "[I'm] happy to be on pole, but it's still a long weekend," he said. To score points in the sprint race, he will also first have to deliver a good Sprint Shootout on Saturday afternoon.

"We know that this is a different weekend with the format. It's a different weekend, but happy with pole. We are quick and that is the most important [thing]," Verstappen concluded his story.