Formula 1 Today: Verstappen Urges Red Bull to Overcome Reliability Issues After Montreal Setback
Max Verstappen’s Qualifying Performance Overshadowed by Reliability Woes
Max Verstappen’s promising qualifying performance at the Canadian Grand Prix was overshadowed by a reliability issue with his Red Bull-Honda’s brand-new hybrid component, which left him stranded during Friday’s second free practice session. The additional MGU-K element added to Verstappen’s pool of components might come back to haunt him later in the 2024 Formula 1 season, potentially resulting in grid penalties if he exceeds the allowed allocation.
Despite the challenges, Verstappen qualified beyond his own expectations in Montreal, matching Mercedes polesitter George Russell’s time on a circuit that didn’t play to Red Bull’s strengths. However, the triple world champion has warned his team to iron out its problems, citing little margin for error as rival teams have put Red Bull under increased pressure.
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“It was a nice qualifying session, but from our side, we’ve had too many issues this weekend,” Verstappen said, addressing the engine issue. “It shouldn’t really happen. We keep a close eye on everything, as we always do, but sometimes you have periods when things don’t go well for a while, and all these little problems come up.”
The Canadian Grand Prix comes on the heels of a more difficult Monaco Grand Prix, where Verstappen finished sixth as he and teammate Sergio Perez struggled with the RB20’s performance on kerbs and bumps. What was initially shaping up to be a three-way battle for wins with Ferrari and McLaren has now turned into a four-way dogfight, with Russell’s pole underscoring Mercedes’ recent progress with a tangible result.
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“Mercedes has easily been quick this weekend, so second place is actually a good result for me,” conceded Verstappen. “We were exactly equal in Q3, but Mercedes was three tenths faster in Q2. Because of that, I think there was still a lot more in it for Mercedes; they haven’t really shown their best lap yet.”
Verstappen believes Red Bull must focus on its own performance, rather than relying on its competitors. “At the end of the day, we have to concentrate on ourselves and make things happen ourselves, because you can’t rely on the competition.”
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In recent weeks, Red Bull has struggled to nail its set-up directions on Friday, often finding itself on the back foot before turning things around ahead of qualifying. “Somehow, it is just very difficult to make our car feel very comfortable. It looks like it goes a bit easier at other teams,” Verstappen concluded.
While Verstappen has managed to drive around some of the RB20’s handling issues, Perez suffered another disappointing qualifying session, being eliminated in Q1 as he struggled for rear grip. According to Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko, Perez’s current struggles are “psychological,” rather than related to the car.
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