Max Verstappen had a complicated day on Friday during free tests in Silverstone. However, despite his doubts about victory and the podium, he surprised by winning pole position this Saturday.
Against all expectations, Max Verstappen will have laid out from pole position this Sunday in Silverstone. But nothing seems to be acquired yet for Red Bull. Because Friday, during free tests, the Dutch struggle to find its bearings. Visibly frustrated, he had only finished 7th of the EL2 and did not hide his annoyance in the face of the unpredictable behavior of his car.
“To be honest, it was a bad day. The balance of the car was bad, it was unstable at each turn ”he declared after the second session in remarks relayed by F1I. Very exposed to the lateral winds, the British circuit highlighted one of the persistent weaknesses of the RB21, which Verstappen says that it “Seems particularly sensitive” on these conditions. A known difficulty but still not resolved on the side of Red Bull.
However, the engineers reacted in time. Thanks to several technical adjustments, Verstappen was able to find confidence in his car to sign the pole on Saturday. A great performance, but which does not erase the concerns expressed the day before. The triple world champion knows that his opponents, notably McLaren and Ferrari, showed a solid pace throughout the weekend.
“We can clearly forget the victory”
Besides, the Dutch pilot has no illusions about his real chances this Sunday. “We have a few tracks to explore, but overall we just lack performance. In such conditions, we can clearly forget victory, and even a podium will not be easy to seek given the competitiveness displayed by the McLaren and the Ferrari He confided on Friday evening.
It remains to be seen whether this declaration was a simple pressure or a lucid analysis of the situation. Anyway, Verstappen will have to deal with a capricious single -seater.
