Max Verstappen will be on the defensive in Silverstone Sprint Race instead of attacking for the win

However, the four-time Formula 1 Champion is well aware that his RB22 is not up to the task of fighting for the win of the Sprint Race on Saturday and will be focused on defending his position instead of attacking Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Antonelli ahead of him.

Speaking after Sprint Qualifying, Verstappen admitted his final result could've gone either way; he said: “For us, probably the outcome of SQ3 was… it was very close; I could easily have been P3 or P6 or P7, but we were on the good side.

“We were a bit closer, but we’re still not where we want to be," he lamented. "Cornering, maybe a tiny bit, but also deployment stuff, so a few things to figure out to try to find more lap time. We’ll try to do that, of course, after the Sprint."

Looking ahead to the Sprint, the Dutchman admitted a win is not a realistic target; he pointed out: “They [Hamilton and Antonelli] look a bit quick. And if they look quick, normally their teammates should also be quick in race pace when everything calms down a little bit.

“So, for me, I think it will be more of a battle with the guys behind me," Verstappen concluded.

Red Bull Racing, following their massive upgrade in Austria, closed the gap as Verstappen challenged George Russell hard during that race, but it seems they couldn't get their car dialed in around Silverstone with only one practice session available due to the Sprint format.

The Milton Keynes squad are known to find gains between Friday and Saturday but now have to wait until the parc fermé conditions are raised following the Sprint before changing their car setup. (Quotes from Sky Sports F1)