Max Verstappen isn’t expecting Red Bull’s ‘strongest weekend’ at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix. After a challenging performance in Monaco, there are concerns about how the team will handle the bumpy Montreal circuit with its demanding kerb-riding sections.
The Monte Carlo circuit’s bumpiness revealed some of Red Bull’s key issues. Verstappen qualified and finished in sixth place, while Sergio Perez didn’t even make it past Q1, crashing with Kevin Magnussen on the first lap. This led many to speculate that Red Bull might face similar struggles in Montreal, which also has several chicane-adjacent corners requiring aggressive kerb-riding.
Even though the Montreal circuit has been resurfaced, Verstappen remains cautious. ‘We have to wait and see [how we’ll perform in Canada], new surface as well I think, that might also give us some surprises,’ he said. ‘But it is probably also not going to be our strongest weekend because of that. But probably a little bit better than [Monaco].’
Christian Horner, Red Bull’s team principal, also weighed in, noting the challenges but expressing some optimism. He acknowledged the historical success at Montreal but warned that the new surface could bring unexpected difficulties. ‘It’s a track that we’ve performed well at previously. They’ve resurfaced the whole circuit again. So let’s see,’ said Horner. ‘But Ferrari, McLaren, they’re quick. It was always going to happen that there was going to be convergence. This has been a tough weekend, but we’re still leading both championships.’
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko added that the team’s struggles on bumpy circuits stem from a discrepancy between the simulator and real-world conditions. In the simulator, the car handles kerbs well, but on actual tracks, it doesn’t. ‘The basic problem is not the tracks, but the fact that the correlation between the simulator and the track doesn’t work. In the simulator, we drive over the kerbs without any problems,’ he explained. ‘Here, let’s use the Verstappen expression, the car bounces like a kangaroo. That’s the problem, which was also evident in the set-up at Miami and partly in Imola.’
Marko believes that Red Bull will regain its form when the calendar moves to more conventional circuits like Barcelona. ‘That’s where we need to start, but we believe that when we get to real circuits like Barcelona, for example, we’ll find our way back to our old form.’
With the Canadian Grand Prix fast approaching, all eyes are on Red Bull to see if they can overcome their recent struggles with bumpy circuits. While there’s some hope based on past performances, the newly resurfaced Montreal track adds an element of uncertainty that only race day will resolve.
Source: Motorsport
