Max Verstappen said it was a “bad day” after he and Red Bull struggled in both opening practice sessions for the British Grand Prix.
The Dutchman could only manage P10 in FP1 and P5 in FP2 as the likes of McLaren and Ferrari all looked a step ahead at Silverstone.
Max Verstappen has ‘bad day’ with slow start to Silverstone
Verstappen has been fielding questions about his long-term future all weekend but Friday saw the focus switch to a more immediate timeline as he looks for his first win since Imola.
But to do that, Red Bill need to vastly improve their car with Verstappen stating it was a “bad day” for him behind the wheel.
“For me personally, it was quite a bad day,” he said. “Just no balance in the car. It’s very difficult corner to corner as well. So quite a poor day, I think, for us.”
During both practice sessions, the drivers were subjected to a heavy amount of wind with the likes of Carlos Sainz being caught out. Asked if that could explain his performance dip, Verstappen said no and that it was the same for everyone.
“[The wind affects] a lot. Of course, not an excuse, because everyone has to deal with that, right? So it’s not easy, but same for everyone.
“Every weekend is different. Different scenarios. Right now, with the wind around here, it seems like our car is quite sensitive to it. But in general, it’s not been an easy day.
“A few [things] that we’ll look at. But I think overall, it was just lacking a bit of performance.”
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Senior advisor Helmut Marko was a little more positive, saying the team had made a step from FP1 to FP2 and catching McLaren was possible.
“We made a big step from FP1 to FP2 but still, we have to find the right balance. We have to get rid of a massive understeer through two or three corners, if we can settle that.
“The long run was more promising. So, if we can cure the problem, I think we will be competitive.
“We are losing three-tenths only in Sector 2 and that is in two or three corners. So, that’s the understeer.”
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