Max Verstappen admits his Red Bull Formula 1 team needs to operate at peak performance to keep winning, and they haven’t been doing that recently.
Since the latter half of 2022, Verstappen and Red Bull have dominated, securing his second and third world titles with ease. However, McLaren and Ferrari have made significant upgrades, closing the gap between the top three teams. Lando Norris’s win in Miami and his strong performance in Imola exemplify this shift.
In Italy, Red Bull faced issues with the car’s balance during free practice, which required significant adjustments from Friday to Saturday. Verstappen managed to prevent an all-McLaren front row thanks to a tow from Haas’ Nico Hulkenberg and maintained his lead over Norris during the race.
“I think after Miami, it was quite clear when we went into Imola that things had closed up quite a bit, even though Imola was probably not our easiest weekend,” Verstappen noted. He emphasized the importance of executing race weekends perfectly to maintain their winning streak. “We always try to find the best possible set-up for the car. Maybe the last few races, we haven’t been at our best, but we try again every weekend.”
Looking ahead to Monaco, Verstappen expressed caution due to the track’s low-speed performance and kerb challenges, areas where Red Bull has struggled. “Looking at the track layout, it’s probably not going to be our best track because our car usually struggles over bumps and kerbs,” he said. Despite improvements in low-speed performance over the past year, he acknowledged that Monaco would be tough. “A lot of things can go wrong, so we just need to be on it. Imola started off really bad, and we managed to turn it around. I wouldn’t want a weekend like that again.”
Red Bull’s recent experiences underscore the need for perfection in every race. As the competition narrows, Verstappen and his team must strive for 100% performance to keep their edge.
Source: Motorsport ˙ Youtube
