Max Verstappen has outlined the areas where Red Bull need to improve in order to replicate their past success at the Monaco Grand Prix, admitting that he doesn’t “know how the car is going to feel tomorrow.”
The team took a significant step forward last time out in Canada as Verstappen secured his first podium of the season, taking advantage of problems for his rivals at McLaren and Mercedes to finish P3 behind winner Kimi Antonelli and Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton.
While the Dutchman claimed that he felt they were closer than ever to the frontrunners, the RB22 still suffered issues with bouncing and drivability that took the team the majority of the weekend to solve.
Looking ahead to Monaco and whether Red Bull had any chance of repeating their podium success of previous years, Verstappen said: “It will depend on a lot of things, but I don’t know how the car is going to feel tomorrow.
“Monaco can always give you some surprises, but realistically, from my side, we’ve been okay in the low-speed but at the same time, here, you need to be good on the bumps and the kerbs, which is where we’re not that great. We’ll have to see how it will evolve throughout the weekend.”
The narrow streets of Monaco mean that drivers are often punished for the smallest of mistakes, making confidence and trust in the car crucial as they prepare during Free Practice before pushing to the limit in Qualifying.
Verstappen recognised that their recent car troubles mean that Red Bull have plenty to work on, but the unique nature of the track could hide the lack of performance they’ve found under high speeds.
“You want to improve in every area,” Verstappen continued. “You want more grip, you want more power, you want better braking efficiency, you want the tyres to operate in a better window, so in that sense, you want to be better everywhere.
“I think, looking at Montreal, we’re definitely lacking in the straights, but also in the corners. I think the ride, or in general on the bumps, we were not the best, and, of course, high-speed corners in other places. Now, here there are no high-speed corners, but normally that has not been our biggest strength yet.”
He was also quizzed on how the dynamics in the team have changed after internal reshuffles last season, which included Laurent Mekies being appointed Team Principal over the summer.
“The feeling is good in the team,” he summarised. “Everyone is working well together and we’re all heading in the same direction, so everyone knows what they have to do and what we want to achieve.”
