Max Verstappen narrowly missed pole position at Imola, citing ‘over the limit’ Pirelli tyres as a key issue.
In an intense qualifying session at Imola, Max Verstappen found himself edged out for pole position by a mere 0.034 seconds, thanks to McLaren’s Oscar Piastri. Verstappen’s initial flying lap in Q3 was impressive, clocking in at 1:14.722. He managed to stay ahead of McLaren’s drivers, benefiting from updates to his Red Bull RB21, which had seen adjustments overnight following a challenging Friday session filled with rear-end confidence issues.
Verstappen mentioned that while his car’s setup improved significantly overnight, enabling it to perform well around the historic circuit, the C6 soft compound tires provided by Pirelli posed a substantial hurdle. “The faster I wanted to go, the more problems I had with the tyres just overheating,” Verstappen explained. As he aimed to push harder in his second run, he began to notice understeering issues after a strong initial sector, forcing him to hold the lap together despite the difficulties.
Mercedes’ George Russell opted for the C5 medium compound instead of the debuting C6, which proved advantageous as it allowed him to secure third place over McLaren’s Lando Norris. The longer-lasting C5 tire helped Russell, whereas Verstappen struggled to maintain his grip throughout his lap. Verstappen acknowledged that the C6 was beyond the track’s limit, explaining, “It’s clear that, for a track like this, it’s really on the limit, or already a bit over the limit.”
The Dutch driver confirmed that Red Bull’s upgrades, introduced earlier in the weekend after previous updates in Saudi Arabia and Miami, had dramatically improved his car’s handling. “Yesterday was a tough start, but today we definitely put it in a better window,” Verstappen remarked, noting the improved balance and responsiveness of his vehicle. Despite this, the tire performance remained a concern. Verstappen noted, “We know that we just overheat our tyres a bit more than we would like. So that is still a focus point for us.”
Looking ahead to the race, Verstappen highlighted that a strong start would be crucial, given the less-than-ideal long-run performance observed during practice. “I’ll just try to do a good start, and then just see where I’m at with the pace,” he contemplated, hoping the car’s setup adjustments will enhance its competitiveness on race day.
Max Verstappen’s critique of Pirelli’s C6 tire compound highlights the delicate balance teams must navigate in maximizing car performance while managing tire limitations. His near-pole effort at Imola underscores the constant interplay between driver skill, car setup, and tire management in Formula 1 racing.
