Max Verstappen says Red Bull has yet to regain the balanced feel of the car that helped them win at Imola, following a mixed Friday practice at the 2025 Formula 1 Spanish Grand Prix.
The Dutchman finished the opening practice session second fastest, three-and-a-half tenths behind Lando Norris’ leading McLaren.
In FP2, Verstappen ended up third, trailing Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell.
Heading into the race weekend, the reigning World Champion expressed hope that the Spanish GP would resemble Imola more than Monaco, following a frustrating outing in the Principality.
After qualifying fifth — and moving up to fourth due to Lewis Hamilton’s grid penalty — Verstappen finished where he started, admitting Monaco’s tight layout hasn’t suited Red Bull in recent years.
Speaking to Sky Sports F1 after the second free practice session, Verstappen reflected on a solid, but not quite perfect, start to the weekend.
“It’s always nice to be here; the track is always very enjoyable to drive,” he said.
“It’s quite hot out there as well, especially for the tyres, but I think it was an okay Friday, I mean, we’ve had worse Fridays.
“But yeah, I felt a bit happier with the car.”
Looking ahead, Verstappen reiterated his desire to recapture the strong balance he had at Imola.
“We’re still not, I think, where we want to be, but it was definitely a bit more positive,” the 27-year-old added.
“I mean, of course, every track is a bit different – but the feeling, I still want a better feeling from the car.
But I’ve also had Fridays where we were completely out of it.
So, yeah, it’s a bit more, I would say, in the middle.”
Tsunoda struggles to explain pace deficit
Yuki Tsunoda endured a challenging start to the Spanish GP weekend, finishing ninth in FP1 and slipping to 13th in the second session.
Reflecting on Friday’s running, the Japanese driver admitted he was at a loss to explain his lack of pace despite feeling progress had been made.
“Yeah, I mean, tricky to be honest, in terms of first day [in Spain] compared to other Grand Prix [Monaco],” Tsunoda explained.
“It felt pretty smooth, myself, I think I made progress, from FP1 [to] FP2.
“To be honest, I just don’t have any idea why I am slow.
“Today’s lap was pretty good as well, considering [its] FP2, obviously, it’s not like fully, fully 100%, but it’s not the gap that I expected, at least.
“It’s hard to even tell what kind of exact limitation I have.
“In terms of balance, it’s okay; I’ll have to see what we can improve, but currently, we’re struggling.”
Tsunoda remains committed to finding a solution, despite feeling quite pleased with his performance today.
“Yeah, hopefully, we can find something, otherwise, it’s really tough, honestly,” he said.
“It’s not like I had a massive mistake and I’m behind compared to competitors quite a lot.
“If I had a mistake with that result, I’m happy, actually, but it’s not like that.
“Probably, it will be a longer night than usual, but obviously, there’s a curfew and everything.
“I’ll try my best to find a solution, but currently, it’s all very clear.”
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