Formula One is back after a summer on a tricky track with Zandoovrt. The teams are excited to perform well, as the break would have provided necessary refreshments. However, the Red Bull squad has plenty of questions to answer. The Milton Keynes-based squad has failed to fix RB20’s technical issues.
As a result, the team is now following a trend of struggling during the FP sessions. The story plot was similar during the Friday practice in Zandvoort, as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had difficulty controlling the RB20. Both the drivers expressed disappointment post-FP sessions as RBR searched for solutions ahead of the main race.
Home Hero Puzzled With Red Bull’s Pace As Rivals Take Lead During Zandvoort Practice
Max Verstappen reflected on his performance after a challenging day on the track, noting that the first practice session (FP1) didn’t provide much running time, which left him relying more on the second session (FP2) to gauge his position. He acknowledged that both the short and long runs were slower than expected, indicating that Red Bull has some work to do. Verstappen admitted that there isn’t a clear solution to their performance issues at the moment, but the team is focused on analyzing the data to make improvements. He candidly described the situation as simply being “a bit too slow.”
Despite not securing a win since the Spanish Grand Prix in June, Verstappen wasn’t surprised by Red Bull’s current position after the summer break. He mentioned that their recent performances have been consistent with where they’ve been in the last few races. Nevertheless, he remains hopeful that the team can find additional performance to improve their chances for Sunday’s race.
Sergio Perez Struggles With A Disappointing Start At The Dutch GP
Sergio Perez faced a challenging day at the Red Bull garage, finishing 12th and trailing teammate Max Verstappen by six-tenths of a second as he seeks to recover from a recent string of difficult performances. Perez mentioned that they were testing several adjustments on the car, aiming to refine their setup and recent updates.
He acknowledged the positive aspects despite the day’s results not reflecting their potential. Perez admitted to making an error at Turn 12, where he went off track and lost a few tenths of a second, which affected his position. He emphasized that the team still has significant work ahead, particularly in improving their long-run pace to stay competitive with the frontrunners. Further, Perez also noted that the team ran both cars with different setups, requiring a busy analysis day to optimize their performance. Additionally, he highlighted the adjustment to having Richard Wood as his new Race Engineer, acknowledging that it’s a change for everyone but expressing confidence that they will improve with each session as they grow more accustomed to working together.