Max Verstappen has detailed a key area that he has identified which his Red Bull team need to address if they are to challenge for victory in Formula 1‘s Austrian Grand Prix.
The Dutchman has arrived in the Styrian mountains needing to get through this race without problems to ensure a lessening of penalty points on his licence and therefore avoid a race ban.
Verstappen will be looking to wrestle some of McLaren’s advantage away in front of a partisan crowd for the Milton Keynes-based squad at the Red Bull Ring, but has noted one important flaw on the RB21 which needs to be rectified to seriously challenge.
“Overall it was quite straightforward, we didn’t have any big issues but yeah, just lacking a bit of pace,” he said. “A bit of a pace, a bit too much understeer in the car as well, short run and long run.
“So that is something we have to try and get rid of.”
Verstappen: Free practice ‘very good’ with stand-in race engineer
Verstappen has another potential flaw this weekend, with the absence of his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, for personal reasons.
In his stead, the team have utilised its simulator chief – and former engineer to Sergio Perez – Simon Rennie, a longstanding member of the Red Bull setup.
When asked if not having Lambiase on the pit wall this weekend makes a significant change, Verstapped replied: “Yeah for sure, but yeah, that’s how it is now,” however indicated a positive response to Rennie’s presence.
“I think so far, today has been really good with Simon,” he said. “Of course, I’ve known Simon for a long time on the other side of the garage and I’m working with him also in the simulator and you know he has a lot of experience anyway, so it’s actually been very, very good today.
“Yeah, he was straight on it and it was nice.”
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