Max Verstappen admitted Red Bull “overdid it” with setup changes before FP2 at the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix, saying the tweaks were “shattering a lot of pace” during Friday’s session.
The Dutchman ended the practice session in 10th place, with his Red Bull team-mate Yuki Tsunoda down in 11th place.
Verstappen encountered more traffic after his earlier troubles in FP1 with the Sauber of Gabriel Bortoleto.
However, the more pressing matter for the reigning World Champion was the dip in pace with his RB21 between the two sessions.
The 27-year-old revealed to Sky Sports F1 after the session that the team had pushed too far with the balance of the car, affecting performance too much.
“I think FP1 was quite positive, but then we made some changes for FP2 to see how far basically we could push the balance, and I think we just overdid it a little bit,” he said.
“So then I couldn’t really attack the corners anymore how I would like, and then you’re just like shattering a lot of pace, and then that time was basically not coming out of it.
“I don’t expect us to be the quickest.
“We want to be, of course, a lot closer than what we were in FP2, but I’m also quite confident that we can be a lot closer.”
Ferrari and home favourite Charles Leclerc topped both of the timing sessions, as the McLarens both finished inside the top five in both practices.
Verstappen left frustrated by ‘tricky traffic’ in Monaco
Before the race weekend, Verstappen admitted Monaco would be a case of “damage limitation” for Red Bull, given the car’s struggles in low-speed corners.
After Friday’s practice sessions, he suggested Ferrari and McLaren currently have the upper hand.
“But Ferrari, again, looks very, very fast,” he added.
“I mean, the McLarens were quite close behind, but if you see over the whole season the pace, I think Ferrari, again, took a big step forward here.”
Verstappen was also left quite agitated after multiple encounters with traffic in FP2.
“Well, I mean, Monaco is always quite tricky with traffic,” he explained.
“But I think two times today it was quite dangerous, I would say, in FP1 and then one time in FP2, which is not ideal.
“I mean, I know it’s practice, but it could have been quite a big crash if you don’t back out of it quickly, if you don’t read the situation, but luckily everything went well.”
READ MORE – Why Max Verstappen tips Red Bull to be in damage limitation mode in Monaco
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