Max Verstappen provided a candid evaluation of his performance in the Dutch Grand Prix weekend, expressing that Red Bull seemed to lack pace compared to their competitors.
This assessment came after he finished behind both Mercedes and McLaren cars during Friday’s practice sessions. Verstappen, who aimed to secure his fourth consecutive home victory, found himself trailing behind George Russell, Oscar Piastri, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris in the dry FP2 session at Zandvoort. This session followed a challenging wet/dry FP1 practice earlier in the day.
When asked to reflect on his day, Verstappen commented: “In FP1, I didn’t have much opportunity to run. I suppose in FP2, you could get a better sense of where you stand.
“We’re lacking speed both in short runs and long runs, so there’s some work to be done.
“At the moment, there isn’t a clear solution on how to specifically improve that, but we will investigate. It’s just a matter of being a bit too slow, plain and simple.”
After the summer break, Verstappen acknowledged that Red Bull’s current position is not unexpected, considering their recent performance in the last few races. With no wins since June’s Spanish Grand Prix, he expressed the team’s determination to improve and find additional performance for the upcoming Sunday race.
