Australian Grand Prix – Max Verstappen has said that Red Bull are not just losing time on the straights after qualifying.
Red Bull have largely thought to have been losing the majority of their time through engine performance, but Verstappen believes the team has time to make up in the corners as well now.
“The car is better balanced now but it is clear to see we still a have to gain a bit,” he said.
“It’s not just in power; we built a car that is efficient on the straights but it means we lose a bit of grip in cornering.”
Both Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo struggled with set-up during practice. The Dutch driver qualified just fifth and 1.2 seconds off the pace, having thought to be potential contenders for victory in the build-up to the season opener.
“This morning we didn’t have the balance and therefore couldn’t find the rhythm, so we tried a few things that unfortunately didn’t work how we would have liked.
“Heading into qualifying we found some positives and built it up lap by lap, after that I kept improving, the balance got better and I managed to have a fairly good qualifying.
“I am not disappointed as I think this is about where we expected to be at race one.”
