Max Verstappen said he doesn’t have the “confidence” to commit at Suzuka in his Red Bull RB21 after the opening day of practice at the Formula 1 Japanese Grand Prix.
Verstappen was fifth fastest in the opening practice session, over half a second slower than Lando Norris’ benchmark effort in the supreme McLaren MCL39.
A fragmented second practice session followed, interrupted by four red flags, and the Dutchman could only complete nine laps, remaining over half a second slower than a pacesetting McLaren, this time in the hands of Oscar Piastri.
Suzuka’s high-speed corners require maximum commitment, and Verstappen feels he doesn’t have the package to do so at this stage of the weekend.
“Today’s been quite difficult for me just trying a lot of different things with the car,” Verstappen said after Friday’s running.
“But it seems like a lot of things are not really clicking at the moment, and, yeah, quite difficult just to put the lap down.
“You need a lot of confidence and commitment around here, and at the moment, I don’t feel like I can use that, so we still have a bit of work to do.”
Contrasting fortunes 12 months on for Red Bull and Verstappen
Verstappen’s concerns contrast hugely in comparison to how he’s fared at Suzuka in recent years.
In 2022, he was crowned World Champion for a second time at the iconic Japanese circuit, and last Spring he put in a commanding performance to win by 12.5s over then team-mate Sergio Perez.
Now, Verstappen has a fight on his hands to qualify inside the top five to put himself in the best place possible to clinch a podium finish on Sunday.
The role reversal sees the two McLarens set to fight for ultimate bragging rights at Suzuka.
Red Bull’s soul-searching extends to the other side of the garage, whereby Yuki Tsunoda becomes Verstappen’s third team-mate inside four races.
Verstappen has been admanat that the team’s troubles stem from the car, not the driver in the second seat and it’s his priority to have those issues adressed.
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