Max Verstappen faced a challenging start at the British Grand Prix in Silverstone, struggling noticeably with his car’s pace and handling during the first day of practice. Despite expectations that the fast layout of Silverstone would suit Red Bull’s car, Verstappen found himself unable to perform at the desired level in both FP1 and FP2 sessions.
The Dutch driver encountered significant difficulties managing the car, particularly battling understeer in the slower corners. This issue hampered his ability to push for competitive lap times, as he dropped considerable ground in the second sector. By the end of the day, Verstappen was nearly half a second slower than Lando Norris’ benchmark time.
While Verstappen’s long-run pace showed some promise and stability, his overall impression of the day was less than encouraging. He described the balance of the car as problematic and acknowledged the effects of wind, though he refused to use weather as an excuse.
“For me personally, it was quite a bad day. The balance was very bad, and it was difficult from corner to corner. The wind has a big impact, but that’s not an excuse, because everybody has to deal with it.”
—Max Verstappen, Driver
“Our car seems quite sensitive to it. In general a mediocre day, difficult. We’re lacking performance, and we’re looking at a few things to try and improve that.”
—Max Verstappen, Driver
Details of Verstappen’s Understeer Issue According to Christian Horner
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner addressed Verstappen’s difficulties after the sessions, highlighting the persistent understeer as a key problem for the team to fix. Speaking to Sky Sports, Horner explained that most of the lost time occurred in the low-speed corners, specifically at turns six and seven—Brooklands and Luffield—where the car struggles when turning into the wind.
“We’ve got a bit of understeer in the car, which we just need to sort out. So it’s a bit of a balancing act. I think if we can sort that out… We’re giving away… 90 per cent of our lap time is in Turns six and seven (Brooklands and Luffield, ed.). So those are the low-speed corners and when we turn back into the wind.”
—Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal
Despite these issues, Horner found cause for cautious optimism, pointing out that Verstappen’s performance during long runs was competitive enough to build upon as the weekend progresses.
“The rest of the lap looks pretty good. And if you look at the long run times, they actually look pretty good. So I think we have something we can work with. We just need to make sure we set it up the right way from one day to the next.”
—Christian Horner, Red Bull Team Principal
Implications for Verstappen’s Performance at Silverstone
Max Verstappen enters this weekend as a two-time winner at Silverstone, having triumphed in 2020 and 2023. However, the lackluster pace and handling struggles on Friday raise concerns as he aims to defend his strong record on a circuit traditionally well suited to Red Bull’s car. The team will need to address these handling issues quickly, particularly the sensitivity to understeer in slower corners exacerbated by wind conditions.
With Verstappen’s future reportedly in the spotlight, this challenging start to the weekend adds further pressure as he seeks to regain confidence and speed. How Red Bull and Verstappen adapt their setup overnight will be critical to improving the car’s balance and tapping into the vehicle’s potential during qualifying and the race itself.
Our Reader’s Queries
Q. What gender is Max Verstappen’s baby?
A. Max Verstappen and Kelly Piquet shared the happy news of their baby’s birth just before the Miami Grand Prix. They announced that they now have a baby girl, their first child together.
