Max Verstappen Downplays Red Bull’s Competitiveness in Canadian Grand Prix Qualifying
Max Verstappen Downplays Red Bull’s Competitiveness
Formula 1’s reigning champion, Max Verstappen, has hinted that matching George Russell’s pole position time in the Canadian Grand Prix flattered Red Bull’s overall competitiveness. Despite ending up closely behind Russell, Verstappen acknowledged that the Mercedes driver’s pole time was slower than Lewis Hamilton’s benchmark Q2 lap, concealing the Mercedes’ outright pace potential.
“Yeah, I mean, in general, I think it wasn’t a bad qualifying,” Verstappen expressed. “I think what was mentioned before, probably Q3, was the weakest of the sessions for Mercedes. So, you know, being on the exact same lap time, yeah, it’s great. But in hindsight, I think when you look at their pure pace, I take second. Because after Q2, I saw their lap times. I was like, there is no way that I can do something like that.”
Verstappen urged Red Bull to ensure smoother weekends, citing an electrical issue in FP2 that cost him track time and forced him to switch to an old engine. “But yeah, I mean, I think overall, just the weekend was again a bit messy from our side, just too many little issues,” he continued. “And then, yeah, from there onwards, we tried to, of course, find the best possible balance with the car. I think we did get a decent balance in qualifying. I was quite happy with it.”
The Dutch driver had anticipated that the long-standing kerb-riding weakness in Monaco, which hampered Red Bull, would be prevalent again at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. However, Verstappen considered second place “damage limitation,” given Red Bull’s vulnerabilities. “We’re still struggling with the same things,” he disclosed. “But of course, the track layout helps compared to Monaco, where Monaco is a lot more low speed. So it’s really important to have good ride mechanical grip here. Of course, there’s more aero involved.”
Verstappen claimed he was not surprised with Mercedes’ sudden emergence, citing how shocks such as Ferrari’s double Q2 exit show how tight the margins are now in the Formula 1 standings. “I think in general, when you look at the whole grid, there are quite a few surprises, like good surprises and bad surprises,” he said. “So yeah, it just shows that everyone is closing up and it’s details that make the difference. Maybe you understand tyres better. You know, of course, certain weaknesses from your car and probably other teams have their own weaknesses.”
The Formula 1 calendar has seen a string of surprises, and Verstappen believes it’s all about understanding the nuances of each track. “So you just need to play that as well and take that into account with certain track layouts. But it’s good for Formula 1,” he concluded.
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