Max Verstappen admits Red Bull may only battle Ferrari and Mercedes, conceding McLaren’s F1 pace ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix.
A three-time winner in Canada, Max Verstappen doesn’t believe he’ll be in contention for victory this weekend in Montreal. The Red Bull driver expects his main rivals to be Mercedes and Ferrari, but he doesn’t think he can challenge the McLarens.
“This time it’s a bit different,” Verstappen admitted. “But I think if we can fight for a podium with Ferrari and Mercedes, that would already be a good result. The McLarens are faster. I don’t even think about it.”
“I’m focusing more on the other teams. I know that last year, for example, Mercedes was very strong here. I think if you compare last year to now, they might be even more competitive too. So it’s going to be quite difficult to fight for a podium.”
He fears that the characteristics of the RB21, although more versatile than its predecessor, might not be suited to the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve: “I think compared to last year, we’ve made the car easier to drive.”
“We don’t have major balance issues. Of course, we know some of our weaknesses: low-speed corners, kerbs, and bumpy surfaces are not ideal for us. We’re heading in the right direction compared to last year. Now we just need to find a bit more overall performance.”
Helmut Marko, Red Bull Racing’s motorsport advisor, also believes the team won’t be able to compete with McLaren: “In terms of speed, no. There’s not much for us here. There are no high-speed corners, there are high kerbs — everything our car hasn’t liked in the past.”
“What might work in our favor are the cooler temperatures, and then there’s the famous Wall of Champions, which even world champions have hit. There have always been chaotic races here.”
