Verstappen Previews Canadian Grand Prix After 'Difficult' Weekend In Monaco

Wednesday, 05 June 2024 at 22:00

Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen discussed his feelings ahead of the ninth round of the 2024 season, which takes place in Montreal.

Red Bull expressed concerns following their worst race of the 2024 season in Monaco. Helmut Marko revealed that his team's simulator data didn't correlate with what happened on the track, which caused the team many issues.

Speaking to the media after the Monaco Grand Prix, Max Verstappen said the problem was that he couldn't drive his car over the kerbs, and it would be hardly fixable before the end of the season.

Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, where F1 cars will race this weekend, also involves a lot of kerb-riding, similar to Monaco. Hence, the expectations weren't high for the team from Milton Keynes.

The triple World Champion isn't used to not standing on the top step of the podium and wanted to get back as soon as possible, so as he revealed, he has done a lot of simulator work to help improve his RB20 during the one-week break. He said:

"Following a more difficult weekend in Monaco, this week I have been with the team back at the factory and in the sim preparing for the Canadian Grand Prix."

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"The track there is very unique, has some old school kerbs and there are plenty opportunities for overtaking."

Red Bull tends to perform better in the race, so with more overtaking opportunities, the Austrian team should perform better this weekend than it did over the last two in Monaco and Imola, even if Verstappen and Sergio Perez didn't qualify in the front row.

"It is even more important to have a good set up of the car and find a balance between the straight line speeds as well as good stability under the braking."

What might make the race more interesting is the weather forecast, which suggests a high probability of rain every day from Friday until Sunday. Verstappen added:

"It is always good to be back racing in Montreal. The scenery is one of a kind, the atmosphere in the city is great, and the fans are very passionate."