Max Verstappen's struggles in practice at Imola may be a symptom of other teams finally challenging Red Bull for performance.
The Dutchman was quickest in qualifying for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix and converted that pole into a fifth win of the season. But that story masks somewhat the true story of a difficult weekend overall for Red Bull.
Verstappen's margin of victory in the end was less than a second over Lando Norris. The Briton again made full use of the pace of his upgraded McLaren and looks set to be a thorn in the defending champion's side in the weeks and months to come.
And before any of the competitive action even began, Red Bull looked to be in trouble. Verstappen struggled for pace and balance in all three practice sessions and he was frustrated for it.
Friday in particular was a tough day as the usually ultra-consistent 26-year-old went off track no fewer than four times across the two sessions. And after watching that eye-catchingly poor day, 1996 F1 champion Damon Hill expressed his belief that increased competition may have unnerved Verstappen.
Inside the driver call which upset Red Bull and changed the course of F1 history
Hill said: "The other teams are catching up. That is definitely the case. The comfortable advantage that Max has enjoyed over the last couple of seasons... it is inevitable that people will close the gap. When you are uncomfortable with the pace, it is relative.
"If you've got a two or three tenths advantage over everyone, then you don't have to push the car. Is that what we are seeing now? Is Max having to get more out of the car than he can, as a result of other people closing up? Actually, are you starting to see the ultimate performance of the Red Bull, and they are scratching their heads to find more. Competition is definitely coming."
Red Bull looked in danger but improved from the moment they hit the track in qualifying and had just enough in the race to keep Norris at bay. Verstappen was pleased with the turn-around over the course of the weekend, but explained how hard he had to work during the Grand Prix to get the job done.
He said: "In the race, like on the mediums, I think it was very good. I didn't expect that kind of pace after what we did so far in the weekend. But we could have somehow keep the balance together. So that felt really nice. But then as soon as I swapped to the hard tyres, it was definitely... I mean, maybe not the first five to 10 laps, but after that I was like, I'm not sure I can bring this to the end, you know, because the tyres just fell out of the operating window.
"It was just like driving on ice really snappy and just you can feel when the tyres are not gripping up anymore... Those last 10 laps you know I was really trying to survive with the tyres and then suddenly Lando really picked up pace. So, yeah, I could see him, of course, catch up. I was not sure if I could keep him behind, but I was just trying to do the best I could, pushing as hard as I could with the grip that I had. And, yeah, luckily, it was just enough laps."
Read more similar news:
Comments:
comments powered by Disqus
