Max Verstappen revealed that damage to his front wing contributed to a lack of one-lap speed during practice for Formula 1’s Austrian Grand Prix.
Mercedes controlled both practice sessions for Red Bull’s home event on Friday, with Lewis Hamilton leading team-mate Valtteri Bottas.
Verstappen finished the second session in eighth position, 0.911s behind Hamilton’s best time, having also suffered an off-track excursion through Turn 6.
“It felt good to be back in the car and after a few laps you are quite easily back into the rhythm,” said Verstappen.
“Overall it was a positive day, the car was handling well and I’m pleased with the number of laps we did which is really important after such a long break.
“The lap times don’t really say anything because I broke my front wing on the push lap, so we had to fit a different wing.
“I think we were a little too aggressive for that and I had a spin and a little off, but nothing major.
“The kerbs are what they are here and it’s the same for everyone, the front wing doesn’t really like the yellow kerbs so we do have to be careful.
“We are I think confident and there are always things we can do better but overall it was a good day and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
Red Bull team-mate Alexander Albon finished only 13th but expressed confidence over the potential of the RB16.
“There are a couple of things we need to work on, and there’s always a bit of time in your driving and set-up, so we’ll see where we are tomorrow but we know what to do,” he emphasised.
“You’ve got to build up to the limit here as the kerbs are dangerous and some of them can be front wing killers if you hit them too hard. But overall the car felt good, I feel good, and I’m looking forward to tomorrow.”
