Max Verstappen aims to make his Red Bull more driveable, struggling with design-related issues that hinder the car’s performance in Monaco.
The first day of the Monaco Grand Prix was anything but smooth for Red Bull. Max Verstappen finished the day in fourth but complained of bouncing throughout both sessions and frequently hit the barriers.
“I don’t think I can describe what’s happening. It’s very tough,” Verstappen said. “It’s not something I didn’t expect, but it’s the most extreme version of the worst possible outcome so far this weekend. It’s challenging.”
“There are many bumps, kerbs, and camber changes on the track. For us, it’s impossible to handle. Every time we go over them, we lose a lot of lap time because the car isn’t driving well. This is currently preventing us from going faster.”
“There is no clear direction or solution for the weekend to solve something like this. Imola was completely different, with issues we could fix through setup adjustments.”
“These problems cannot be resolved with setup adjustments because it’s the way the car is built and designed. You can’t change these things overnight. We’re stuck with it. We’ll try, but I don’t expect miracles.”
The Dutchman, who considers Ferrari “miles ahead,” isn’t even thinking about making the car competitive for pole or victory: “I just want to solve the problems we have to make the car more driveable.”
“Ferrari is out of reach.”
Sergio Pérez also complained about the RB20’s handling on the winding streets of Monaco, finishing even further down the order, unable to get within half a second of his teammate.
“It will be tough; our limits are hard to overcome. We’ll see what we can do tonight. The two cars were a bit different, and I don’t know what Max’s problem was. The long runs seemed better, but we need to see how it goes,” Pérez stated.
“For now, Ferrari is out of reach. They are very strong; they can put in a lap whenever needed, very quickly. It’s an advantage here not to have difficulties getting into rhythm or with the tyres. They are very strong at the moment.”
The Mexican explained that Red Bull would need to work on several key elements tonight: “It’s not just one thing. There are several things we need to improve, and we hope that will get us back in the fight, closer to the others, but it’s difficult for now.”
Red Bull is not worried about its developments
Paul Monaghan, Red Bull’s engineering director, has extended his commitment to the team for several more years. He explained Red Bull’s evolution policy and upcoming innovations, noting that the changes expected to be visually apparent upon returning to Europe were not evident at Imola.
“The visual aspect of an improvement is not necessarily indicative of its aerodynamic performance,” Monaghan said. “It’s not as if we have a car that’s off the pace and need to experiment with more significant changes.”
“We have a very competitive car, and I think we understand it very well. We shouldn’t doubt our development process. We have improvements coming. The importance of manufacturing requirements determines when we can bring them.”
“It’s not something we react to just because last week was a bit tight, and obviously, we were beaten in Miami, but the plan is in place. We are not lethargic regarding improvements. Once they are ready, they are ready.”
Max Verstappen Targets Driveability Amid Red Bull Design. Max Verstappen Targets Driveability Amid Red Bull Design
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