Verstappen was making noises after qualifying about concerns over his race pace.

“The whole weekend over one lap we have been very decent,” he said. “So far I haven’t been happy with my long runs. The pace wasn’t what I would have liked.

“So it’s a bit of a question mark because, looking at the long runs – especially Ferrari – they look very comfortable. Maybe they were not so quick over one lap today, but they were definitely fast in the long run. So we’ll have to wait and see how that will evolve in the race.

“We made a few changes after third practice, which hopefully will work. I hope we have improved the car compared to P3, otherwise it is going to be a difficult race for us.”

His rivals were not convinced. Lando Norris, in third place on the grid in the McLaren, spoke for everyone when he said: “Realistically, we’re still too far away to challenge them. They’re too quick for us. Yes, we are quicker (relatively) in quali, but in the race, normally, they always pull away a bit more.”

With the Red Bulls already occupying the positions in which they are expected to finish the race, it is the fight between Norris and those immediately behind him that is expected to provide the major entertainment.

Norris was comfortably quicker than Carlos Sainz’s Ferrari in fourth place over one lap, but the same may not be the case over a longer distance.

Behind Sainz, Fernando Alonso impressed in the upgraded Aston Martin, and said he felt his pace was “unexpected” in a session with which he declared himself “happy and proud”. But he is worried about dropping back from his lofty qualifying position as the car’s true pace reveals itself in the race.

“Looking back at the first three races, we are strong in qualifying and not so in races,” said Alonso. “If we get overtaken by Mercedes, I guess this is normal and we fall back to our position.”

Behind them are McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton, both of whom Sainz feels will be “in the fight”.