Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix: Verstappen concerned over rivals' progress
Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool
IMOLA, Italy -- Max Verstappen has acknowledged that Red Bull faces challenges to maintain its substantial lead over competitors following a difficult practice day ahead of the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix.
Verstappen, the dominant leader in the championship, appeared to struggle with his Red Bull car, which featured several upgrades intended for the weekend's race. He had uncharacteristic errors, running wide twice in the first practice session and again during Friday afternoon's second session.
Conversely, Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc, driving near the team’s Maranello headquarters, set the fastest times in both practice sessions. Lando Norris, fresh off his Miami Grand Prix victory, along with McLaren teammate Oscar Piastri, showcased solid performances with their upgraded vehicles, starting the weekend on a positive note.
Reflecting on the implications for Saturday’s qualifying, Verstappen remarked, "I guess it can't be worse than what we had today, right? We'll look at a few things that we can do better for tomorrow. But yeah, it looks a bit like the others took a bit of a step forward. And from our side just a bad day."
Verstappen’s frustration was evident as he described the day's struggles with car balance and control. "A difficult day. Just difficult to get a good balance and just not really feeling comfortable in the car, moving around a lot," he explained. "It's very easy to lose the car, so we have a few things that we have to look at because today definitely ... just bad, just not comfortable."
His concerns also extended to race pace, with long runs failing to meet expectations. "Also the long run was really bad, so definitely a few things that we have to improve if we want to be competitive tomorrow. Today we were just severely off the pace that we need to fix."
Red Bull will need to address these issues swiftly to ensure they can defend their advantage against rivals who appear to be closing the gap. All eyes will be on Verstappen and his team as they work to optimize performance ahead of the crucial qualifying sessions and Sunday’s race.
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