Verstappen Suggests Red Bull Is In Trouble After: 'I Don't Expect Any Miracles'
F1Friday, 24 May 2024 at 21:30
Max Verstappen's reaction after the second practice session ahead of the eighth Grand Prix race of the 2024 season in Monaco suggested Red Bull is in significant trouble.
Coming to this week's race at Circuit de Monaco, it was clear to everyone inside Red Bull that this might be the toughest race of the season so far for them.
Both Helmut Marko and Max Verstappen previously told the media that Monaco represents almost everything that doesn't suit their RB20, so their rivals might have an edge on this track.
The results of the first two practice sessions on Friday only confirmed their words, as Red Bull seemed to struggle compared to all the top five teams, including Mercedes and Aston Martin.
The first session wasn't as representative as Verstappen didn't run on soft compound tires (only P11). However, even when Verstappen put on soft tires, he was only fast enough for P4, more than half a second behind Charles Leclerc.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the second practice session at Circuit de Monaco, the triple World Champion suggested that his team's situation couldn't be worse at the moment.
"I don't think I can describe what is going on. It's very difficult, but not what I did not expect. The worst possible outcome of the weekend."
"It's just very difficult. The bumps, kerbs and camber changes, we lose a lot of laptime, as the car struggles to drive. We don't have a clear direction or solution for the weekend."
Now, you might be thinking that we've seen something similar before. Red Bull struggled during Friday's session at Imola (where Verstappen also said it couldn't have been worse).
But then, the Austrian team recovered ahead of Saturday's qualifying, and the 26-year-old brought home pole position and then went on to win the Grand Prix.
However, Verstappen asserted he doesn't expect this scenario to repeat as Red Bull's current issues can't really be fixed with a setup change.
"These things we can't change with set-up cause it's how the car is made. We can make some set-up changes overnight. We will try to make it better, but I don't expect any miracles."
"They [Ferrari] are miles ahead, I am not even thinking about that. I am just focused on making the car more drivable."
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