Autobayng News Team
Max Verstappen said the drastic changes to his Red Bull’s set-up failed to improve the car’s handling.
Red Bull’s drivers have been unhappy with the RB22’s balance since the weekend began. Neither scored points in Saturday’s sprint race, leading the team to make extensive set-up alterations ahead of qualifying.
However Verstappen qualified eighth, a second off pole-winner Andrea Kimi Antonelli, and said the car hasn’t improved.
“It was the same,” he told Sky. “We turned it upside-down and it was exactly the same, so I’m expecting exactly the same tomorrow.”
Last year Verstappen often reported handling problems with his car early in practice which improved as the team refined its set-up during the weekend. However he says their problems are much more serious now.
“In the past, sometimes we would throw it upside-down and it would work. Now, nothing works.
“So it’s just not nice. I cannot push. Every lap is honestly survival for me, I’m not enjoying it at all.”
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The car’s lack of consistency from lap to lap makes it difficult to understand how to improve its performance, Verstappen added.
“It’s very inconsistent. I cannot build a reference through qualifying. Whatever lap I do, I am like, all right, well, that is it.
“Can I go four tenths faster? Maybe. Can I go four tenths slower? Yeah, that’s a big chance as well, because it’s just all over the place. So it’s just incredibly difficult.”
As well as being beaten by Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, Verstappen lost another place to Pierre Gasly’s Alpine. He doubts he will be able to finish much higher than his starting position.
“Where we are, P7, P8, [we’ll be] probably fighting a bit with Pierre, but that’s it,” he said. “There’s not more in it.
“It’s incredibly tough to drive. There’s no balance, I cannot lean on the car. Every lap is a fight. It’s just very difficult.”
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Keith Collantine
Lifelong motor sport fan Keith set up RaceFans in 2005 – when it was originally called F1 Fanatic. Having previously worked as a motoring journalist, Keith began running the site full-time in 2010, achieving a long-held ambition to dedicate his full attention to his passion for motor racing. View all posts by Keith Collantine
