Max Verstappen wants a reaction from Red Bull Racing before the qualifying session for the Dutch Grand Prix in Formula 1. The Dutch driver pointed out a lack of grip and balance in the RB22 after finishing only seventh in the Sprint qualifying on Friday.
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The start of the weekend was complicated for the Dutchman, who finished the only TL1 session in 11th position. Despite later advancing and surpassing Lewis Hamilton from Ferrari, Verstappen assessed that the car is still far from the level needed to compete for the top positions.
“I think we qualified ahead of a Ferrari car, but it was a bit tricky to find grip and balance,” Verstappen said after the Sprint qualifying. He highlighted that there was progress compared to TL1, but stressed that more performance still needs to be found.
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For the rest of the weekend in the Netherlands, the four-time world champion asked the team to understand how to work on the car’s behavior: “It’s something we need to understand now, what we can do with the balance for tomorrow, to find a bit more grip, really, a bit of balance, a bit of grip to reduce the gap a little,” he added.
Verstappen was also asked about Red Bull’s ability to react after a difficult Friday, a characteristic the team has shown on other occasions. The driver, however, said that this recovery has been less consistent this season and summed up the situation directly: “It’s trial and error, but we’ll see what we can find. I can’t say now,” he concluded.
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