Max Verstappen again identified a mechanical problem in the rear axle during qualifying for the Formula 1 Italian GP, held this Saturday (5) in Monza, and asked Red Bull to investigate the failure, which had already appeared at other times throughout the weekend.
Read more F1: Russell sees victory within reach even starting second in Monza
The situation was especially frustrating because Verstappen had found a much more favorable condition in the car during TL3. After finishing among the top three in the session, the Dutchman expected to maintain performance in the front fight, but lost performance precisely at the decisive moment.
“In TL3, actually, we had a very good improvement overnight,” he said. “The car was in a much better window, but we didn’t change much on the car to enter qualifying. Suddenly, I felt that something failed in the rear axle again, not the wing, but something mechanical, which we need to investigate again. It’s not the first time this has happened, but it happened at random moments during the weekend. Unfortunately, now it happened at the most important part.”
According to the four-time world champion, the defect directly compromised driving, especially when passing over curbs. “When you have this kind of problem, it becomes extremely difficult to drive,” he said. “The car no longer obeys when it should, over bumps and curbs, and that only costs lap time.”
Read more F1: Antonelli faces penalty and highlights help to Russell
The problem also reduced the importance of the slipstream Verstappen was supposed to receive from Liam Lawson in Q3. The teammate, however, did not make it to the final session after being blocked by Oscar Piastri in Q2. Still, the Dutchman assessed that the absence of the aid had little influence on his result given the difficulties faced with the car.
Despite sixth place, Verstappen highlighted that the scenario seen in TL3 had increased his confidence. At that moment, he did not consider Red Bull the favorite for pole, but for the first time in the weekend felt that the car was comfortable to drive.
“Actually, I thought that, with the way the car was responding in TL3, I didn’t think I was fighting for pole, but it was a very comfortable car to drive, for the first time. That was really very good, but unfortunately we got another problem.”
Read more F1: “Who knows?”: Alpine dreams of victory after Gasly’s pole in Monza
