F1 News
Verstappen: "Frankly, I don't think we've wasted any time"
During qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix Max Verstappen had to watch Mercedes entering the first row of the grid with playful ease. Meanwhile Red Bull Racing had the biggest problems to keep teams like McLaren and Racing Point behind them. What went wrong?
"I've really tried everything," says Verstappen in Red Bull's online press session. "From a low down pressure setting to medium and even a little more, but the same lap time comes out every time. That shows that our car isn't good enough at the moment."
"We know that we are falling short of Mercedes in terms of top speed and power. That has already been established. However, that does not explain the entire gap, because that gap is not so great in terms of power alone. Not only do we not have the right balance, but we also lack grip.
What is the impact of the ban on party fashion?
The Italian Grand Prix is also the first race weekend in which special engine modes are banned during qualifying. According to many, this would hurt Mercedes in particular, but at Monza there was little evidence of this. Verstappen therefore did not expect to see the impact of this now.
"Quite frankly, I do not think we have lost any time in doing so. I think it is a difficult job to see the full impact of this. I think we have to wait for a normal track, where the drag doesn't play a role. So it is too early to say anything about that. I never thought it would change anything, those words came from others."