At Imola, Max Verstappen experienced an extended duration in the gravel compared to his usual occurrences.
Max Verstappen has said the rest of his weekend’s running “can hardly be worse than today” after a nightmare time out on track in Imola.
Verstappen’s performance during the Dutchman’s two practice sessions was unexpectedly untidy, as he had difficulties finding a proper balance in his RB20.
Max Verstappen at a loss after Red Bull setup problems in Imola
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
After the day’s running, Tom Hart, the stand-in race engineer, would have had his ears buzzing due to the numerous complaints made by Verstappen in both FP1 and FP2.
After passing through Acque Minerali, the driver encountered a problem, causing them to veer off into the gravel. Frustration overwhelmed them as they vigorously shook their head in anger.
Verstappen, in his post-session remarks, voiced his frustration regarding his struggle to attain the desired equilibrium.
“It has been a challenging day,” he commented. “Struggling to find the right equilibrium and not quite at ease behind the wheel.”
“It becomes incredibly easy to misplace the car and a few essential items when constantly on the move. Unfortunately, today we are experiencing discomfort due to this situation.”
“Furthermore, the long run proved to be quite unfavorable, highlighting certain areas that require improvement for us to maintain competitiveness tomorrow.”
Verstappen could only find one positive aspect about his running on Saturday, stating, “At least it can’t be worse than what we experienced today.”
“We will analyze the areas where we can improve for tomorrow, but it seems that the others have made noticeable progress while we simply had a rough day.”
More reaction from the first day of running in Imola
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Verstappen’s excursion into the gravel trap was not his only instance of raising his hand out of his cockpit. He did so again when he nearly collided with Lewis Hamilton, who failed to notice Verstappen’s presence while he was on a fast lap.
The Red Bull driver, when asked about the incident, chose not to provide extensive comments. However, he did mention that it wasn’t the first time he had been involved in a similar incident.
“It’s not the first occurrence,” he stated. “One naturally attempts to remain composed. However, I have encountered similar situations myself.”
“I’d rather not delve into it extensively as it’s not our main concern. Today, our performance was simply way below par.”
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