Max Verstappen: “It’s always difficult to find the right balance” at Spa

Max Verstappen’s weekend got off to an ideal start, dominating Free Practice 1 with more than half a second advantage over his rivals, whether on hard or soft tires. However, he failed to outperform the McLarens in Free Practice 2, as the papaya cars managed to take the lead. With a 10-place grid penalty on Sunday, the Dutch driver is aware that there is still a lot to do before the Grand Prix. Last year, Verstappen had already been penalized five places on this track, but he still managed to win the race after starting from sixth position.

“Repeating such an achievement is expected to be much more difficult this year, as he will not only have to overcome a heavier penalty, but also face opponents who are much faster.”

Let us recall that the reigning world champion has not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix, three races ago, and another defeat here could still reduce his lead in the championship. Despite the pressure, the Dutchman remained calm after Friday’s practice sessions.

« We have tried quite a few things because it’s typically Spa, where you need top speed in the first and third sectors, but also agility in the corners of the long intermediate sector. It’s always difficult to find the right balance », he explained to F1.com.

« So, we are testing various options to see what works best, and we will analyze the data. The first session went well, but the second one was a bit less good. We have to examine the changes we made and hope to find the best setup for the race, especially since I know I will have to start a bit further back due to my engine penalty, and try to optimize that »,” said the Dutchman.

Rain for qualifying this Saturday in Spa.

Naturally, you always want a good qualification, but the essential is the race, so that’s what we will focus on, added Max Verstappen.

Saturday’s qualifications being expected under the rain, anything can happen. Verstappen will have to fight to obtain the best possible position in order not to start too far back on the grid, which would complicate his task on Sunday.

On his side, Sergio Perez failed to match Verstappen’s performances, experiencing difficulties with the balance of his RB20. The Mexican expressed his frustrations on the radio, complaining about both understeer and oversteer, making the car difficult to control.

« We tried several settings, but we failed to exploit everything, “said Perez. « We have a lot of information – the two cars were quite different, so we have to analyze everything for tomorrow and the race.

A night of intense work awaited Red Bull on Friday, with the team even working under curfew – without penalty. Perez himself acknowledges that the unknowns concerning the ideal settings for his car and the weather conditions make this weekend particularly interesting.