– During qualifying for the Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull, according to Max Verstappen, did not listen to the setup feedback of the four-time world champion. In the end, sixth place on the starting grid was recorded.
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“We tried something different on my car, that’s what the team wanted,” Verstappen explains to the Dutch press.
“It was obvious that it wouldn’t work as expected. But sometimes you have to let the team do their thing to make it clear that something isn’t working. I said: ‘If you think it will work, then try it.’ And obviously, it didn’t work.”
Above all, lack of top speed and cold front tires were a big problem for the Red Bull driver in qualifying. “I’ve mentioned this so many times,” Verstappen continues. “But sometimes you have to let them find out for themselves that something isn’t working.”
It should be said that Verstappen often takes a leading role in the team when it comes to setup. He himself emphasizes: “Of course, they often listen to me, but not this time. They were sure it would work.”
Teammate Isack Hadjar was only a few hundredths behind the four-time champion on Saturday. However, both did not have the same setup, as Verstappen points out: “They wanted to try that with me, that’s been the case for years,” explains the 71-time Grand Prix winner.
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“As a driver, I can of course say: ‘Leave the car as it is, that’s okay,’ but for me, it didn’t feel good before, and that hasn’t changed so far. I’m not easily satisfied with a car. “I want to fight for the win, not for seventh place.”
So the conclusion for Verstappen remains: “The entire qualifying led to nothing. I always stay quite calm about it, but hopefully they understand now that it doesn’t work.”
Already on Friday, Red Bull had big problems with the RB22. Verstappen mentioned, among other things, that his feet sometimes flew off the pedals due to the bumps on the track.
When asked if one can at least learn from this experience to avoid repeating this mistake at upcoming weekends, Verstappen answers: “Yes, that’s pretty clear.”
In the sprint race, the Red Bull driver secured seventh place, while Hadjar had to stop his car due to engine problems. Verstappen is also seventh in the championship standings ahead of the Grand Prix in Montreal.
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