Max Verstappen is adamant that Red Bull needs “quite a bit more” than the upgrades brought to the Formula 1 Miami Grand Prix “to be really in a fight.”
Red Bull brought a modified floor to the Miami International Autodrome this weekend in its bid to take on pacesetters McLaren.
The RB21 suffers from poor tyre management and through-corner balance issues and it was hoped that the floor tweaks would provide a step in the right direction.
Verstappen snatching pole position at a circuit Red Bull didn’t fancy it chances suggested it did, especially after his comments to Martin Brundle in parc ferme on Saturday.
“I think we improved the car a tiny amount as well, which helped me to basically rotate it a bit better,” he said.
Verstappen was asked in the post-qualifying press conference if this comment referred to the upgrades Red Bull had brought to Miami.
The Dutchman revealed the improvements were set-up related.
“[We] just changed the setup a bit from before to now—that’s why it rotated a bit better,” he told media including Motorsport Week.
“What we are trying to achieve of course is a better balance in the car.”
On that note, Red Bull’s upgrades weren’t a failure, but Verstappen argued more is needed to consistently challenge for top billing in F1.
“Now this track is not always the easiest to say that you have improved or nailed something because it’s just a really weird layout I would say,” he added.
“So it takes a bit more time. But for sure it was not negative. And yeah, from here we can work and try to improve it further because from my feeling, of course, we’re not there yet.
“We need quite a bit more to be really in a fight.”
Red Bull ‘still struggling with limitations’ – Verstappen
While Verstappen concurred that Red Bull looks strong through a variety of high and low-speed corners in Miami, he argued that the RB21’s limitations continue.
Because of this, the Dutchman would prefer cooler temperatures for the Miami GP, to avoid the RB21’s tyre management weaknesses.
“We are still struggling a little bit with our limitations in the car, but I do think that we’ve been quite decent over a lap, if you look at the cornering, we’re a bit slow on the straight this week,” Verstappen explained.
“Then I think especially McLaren and Mercedes, and they took a new engine and of course that always gives a little bit more power than a used engine.
“But yeah, it seems like it’s a little bit better.
“Of course, the long run is a different story. The tyres get really hot around here. But of course tomorrow I don’t know what will happen in terms of rain or not, how warm it will be.
“To be honest, the colder it is, I think the better.”
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