Red Bull left in the dust as McLarens outshine Max Verstappen at Imola GP practice
In a shocking turn of events at the Imola Grand Prix practice, Max Verstappen was left trailing behind as the McLarens zoomed past him, leaving the Red Bull team scrambling to keep up. Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko expressed his disappointment, stating that the team is lacking four tenths compared to their rivals.
Despite bringing several upgrades to their car for the Imola race, including a revamped engine cover and rear suspension, Red Bull still couldn’t match the pace of the McLarens. Verstappen, who finished Friday’s practice session in fifth place, admitted that they were simply not fast enough to compete with the frontrunners.
“In the long runs I got overtaken by the McLaren, so that says enough, right? They pull away. But even then, compared to other teams around us, it was a bit tough today,” Verstappen revealed in an interview.
Marko echoed Verstappen’s sentiments, acknowledging that while there has been some progress since their disappointing performance in Miami, Red Bull is still falling short of McLaren’s dominance. “Disappointing, McLaren is still, from what it looks like, four tenths ahead – that’s quite a lot on this track,” Marko lamented.
The gap between Red Bull and McLaren seems to be widening, with Red Bull struggling to match the pace set by their rivals. Despite the improvements made to the car, including a better balance through corners, Red Bull is facing an uphill battle to catch up.
As qualifying approaches, all eyes will be on Red Bull to see if they can bridge the gap and challenge McLaren for pole position. With tensions running high and the competition fierce, the Imola Grand Prix is shaping up to be a thrilling battle of speed and skill.
