Max Verstappen, from the Netherlands, driving for Red Bull Racing in the RB20 car, participated in the Formula 1 World Championship, Stage 8, Monaco Grand Prix, held in Monte Carlo, Monaco, on May 24, 2024, during the practice day.
Red Bull is being cautious regarding the possibility of facing similar difficulties in the upcoming Formula 1 Canadian Grand Prix, as it happened in Monaco. Both Ferrari and McLaren have made progress and reduced the gap to Red Bull recently. Despite this, Max Verstappen managed to secure second place in Miami and win in Imola.
However, Red Bull faced challenges in Monaco, with Verstappen expressing disappointment with the performance of his RB20. He noted that the car couldn’t handle the bumps and kerbs as efficiently as his competitors’ cars. Verstappen compared this situation to the team’s struggles in Singapore last year, the only race they didn’t win in 2023, suggesting they still haven’t fully understood the problem.
Verstappen believes that returning to conventional tracks will benefit Red Bull, but he also admits that there will be more venues that will expose their weaknesses. When asked if he expects more issues in the upcoming races, Verstappen replied, saying: “I mean, Spain has a smooth track, so that might be better for us. But there are definitely some tracks with bumps and kerbs that are not ideal for us, although there are probably some races where our car will perform better. We know which areas we need to work on. There is a clear direction where we are underperforming, and if we can solve that, our car can perform better at all tracks.”
The vulnerabilities of Red Bull may once again become evident when Formula 1 arrives at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, another track where having a suitable car is crucial for lap times. However, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner did not give a clear indication if the team will be in damage limitation mode in Montreal, as the track underwent resurfacing last year.
“It’s a track where we have performed well in the past,” Horner said in his preview. “They have resurfaced the entire circuit again, so we will have to wait and see. But Ferrari and McLaren are fast. A convergence was expected. It has been a challenging weekend, but we are still leading both championships, and we will take the lessons from this weekend and apply them to the next one.”
When asked about his assessment of Red Bull’s chances in Canada based on his previous comments, Horner added: “It’s Monaco, of course, but it also has high-speed sections. Traction is very important. Historically, it has been a factor, but with the new surface, we do not know how the balance will be affected.”
