As the team gets ready for the Canadian Grand Prix, Max Verstappen and Christian Horner are communicating well.
Following a reappearance at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Max Verstappen and Christian Horner have both tipped off “surprises” for this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. The two were also concerned about Red Bull’s level of competition because the defending champions were still working to find a solution to a nagging street track issue.
Red Bull’s problems with street circuits were initially evident in Singapore last year, when both of its drivers were eliminated in the second round. This year, in Australia and Monaco, the team’s difficulties with uneven surfaces have been evident once more.
Two weeks ago, this resulted in a terrible weekend in the Principality, with Verstappen having to settle for a lacklustre P6 finish and teammate Sergio Perez being ousted in qualifying after getting into a major collision with Kevin Magnussen on the first lap.
Verstappen stated, “We have to wait and see, new surface as well, I think, that might also give us some surprises,” in reference to the team’s prospects in Montreal. However, that also means that this weekend won’t be our best one. However, perhaps marginally superior to [Monaco].
The street circuits will definitely be a little challenging since [we struggle] on any track that is bumpy, has kerbs, or requires you to ride a lot of kerbs. But perhaps by then we’ve gained some insight into what’s happening.”
In evaluating the forthcoming weekend, Horner supported Verstappen’s theory. “It’s a track that we’ve performed well at previously, they’ve resurfaced the whole circuit again, so let’s see,” he stated. “However, McLaren and Ferrari are fast. The inevitable confluence was always going to occur.
Even though Monaco had a difficult weekend, we are still in the lead in both championships. We’ll try to apply the lessons we learned this weekend to the next one. Though historically there, [Montreal is] quite popular, and you never know where the scale may tip with a new surface.”
Red Bull’s issues stem from the team’s simulator, which generates data that doesn’t match up with on-track feedback at street circuits. Because of the ineffective setups that resulted, Verstappen and Perez were unable to forcefully go over kerbs and bumps.
The fact that both Ferrari and McLaren are making major performance advancements only serves to aggravate the situation. Over the past three races, Lando Norris and Charles Leclerc have both claimed Grand Prix victories, and if Red Bull is unable to resolve their simulator correlation concerns, they will both keep attacking.