Verstappen: Red Bull Struggles With Pace Ahead Of Dutch Grand Prix

Add as a preferred source on Google

Max Verstappen acknowledged that Red Bull lagged behind Mercedes and McLaren after the initial practice sessions for the Dutch Grand Prix. Verstappen, aiming for a fourth consecutive home victory on Sunday, has not won since June's Spanish Grand Prix. He finished fifth in Friday's second practice session, trailing George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris at Zandvoort.

Verstappen has only reached the podium once since his last win and is seeking significant improvements before Saturday's qualifying. "Of course, in FP1 I didn't really get a lot of running in. I guess in FP2 you could see a little bit more where you are," he said. "[We're] a bit too slow on the short run, a bit too slow on the long run, so a bit of work to do."

Ferrari also faced challenges keeping up with Mercedes and McLaren's early pace. Charles Leclerc ended the second session ninth on the timesheet. He was Ferrari's sole representative for most of the session due to Carlos Sainz experiencing gearbox issues. Leclerc admitted they still have much work to do to compete effectively.

"Tough [day]!" Leclerc remarked. "As expected, I would say. We don't quite have the pace of the guys in front, unfortunately. I think it's better than what it looks like on the timesheet at the end of the day, but still not quite in the fight for the win, for sure."

Verstappen highlighted that Red Bull has been consistently slower in recent races. "At the moment, [there's] no clear answer of how to improve that specifically, but we'll look into things," he stated. "Just a bit too slow, as simple as that." He emphasized their need to find more performance by Sunday.

Meanwhile, Ferrari’s struggles were evident as Leclerc noted their lack of pace compared to competitors. "There's quite a bit of work to do still," he said. "That's what we are doing, but I hope it will pay off soon."

The Dutch Grand Prix presents an opportunity for Verstappen to break his winless streak since June and secure another home victory. However, both Red Bull and Ferrari must address their performance issues quickly if they hope to challenge Mercedes and McLaren this weekend.

Max Home fans #F1 || #DutchGP pic.twitter.com/xJBt1ACqE4

@redbullracing August 23, 2024