Max Verstappen opened his Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend on the back foot, expressing concerns about Red Bull Racing’s pace after a frustrating Friday at Imola. Despite Red Bull bringing an updated version of the RB21 to the iconic Italian circuit, Verstappen found himself struggling with balance issues and unfamiliar behavior from his car, leaving him fifth fastest in Free Practice 2.
The three-time Formula 1 world champion trailed session leader Oscar Piastri by nearly half a second, highlighting a rare off-day for the Dutchman, who has otherwise dominated the 2025 season. Verstappen was candid in his assessment after the session, calling the day “tough” and admitting that the RB21 “bottomed quite hard” over several sections of the bumpy and technical track.
“We tried a lot of bits, some worked a bit better than others,” Verstappen said. “But overall, we’re not fast enough at the moment.”
With Piastri and McLaren teammate Lando Norris leading both sessions on Friday, Red Bull faces the prospect of losing its grip on the front row for the first time in weeks. Verstappen’s comments reflected uncertainty heading into Saturday’s qualifying session.
“At the moment, not very high,” Verstappen said when asked about his confidence in fighting for pole position. “We definitely need a bit more work to get a better through-corner balance to go faster.”
Red Bull Searching for Balance as Rivals Close the Gap
Red Bull’s day in Imola was marked by a visible struggle to dial in their new upgrade package. The RB21, which received floor and rear suspension tweaks ahead of this weekend, appeared unsettled through the middle sector, particularly in the Villeneuve and Acque Minerali corners where Verstappen reported excessive bottoming.
“We need to make the car a bit more driveable,” Verstappen explained. “Even on the long runs, I got overtaken by the McLaren, so that says enough, right? They pull away.”
Friday’s data appeared to confirm Verstappen’s worries. Not only did McLaren top both practice sessions, but even teams like Alpine and Mercedes looked more consistent through the high-speed sections. While Red Bull has often been able to turn things around between Friday and Saturday, Verstappen suggested that this weekend might be a different story.
“Compared to other teams around us, it was a bit tough today,” he added. “We need to find something overnight.”
Adding to Red Bull’s concerns, Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda, who recently made the step up from Racing Bulls, finished eighth in FP2 — just a tenth behind Verstappen. While Tsunoda continues to adapt to his new surroundings, his performance further underlined Red Bull’s lack of a clear edge this weekend.
Tsunoda Reflects on “Positive Day” but Acknowledges Limitations
While Verstappen painted a sobering picture of Red Bull’s Friday struggles, Yuki Tsunoda struck a slightly more optimistic tone. The Japanese driver is still acclimating to the full Red Bull environment after being promoted from the sister team, and despite finishing outside the top five, he labeled his performance as a “positive day.”
“It was alright,” Tsunoda said. “It’s not obviously a top five, top three, so still lots of work to do. But overall, a positive day today.”
Tsunoda admitted that Red Bull identified several limitations during long-run simulations, but he remained hopeful that the team could optimize both short- and long-run performance before qualifying.
“We just had our first long run and it’s good that we saw some limitations there as well, which I think are slightly bigger than probably the short run,” he added. “We’ll definitely put it all together for tomorrow.”
When asked if Red Bull could mount a challenge to McLaren this weekend, Tsunoda acknowledged the difficulty: “In FP2 it’s kind of the usual story that we’re quite close, and in Qualifying and the race they’re able to make a step. We’ll focus on what we have to improve.”
News in Brief: Max Verstappen Trails as McLaren Dominates
Friday at Imola painted a clear picture: McLaren is in control, and Red Bull is chasing. For Max Verstappen, the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix has begun with more questions than answers, particularly regarding the effectiveness of the team’s latest upgrades and their ability to adapt to the high-speed, old-school layout of the Imola circuit.
While Red Bull has proven time and again that it can recover from slow starts to weekends, Verstappen’s rare admission of doubt suggests that the team will need to dig deep overnight if it hopes to return to the sharp end of the field on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda continues to find his rhythm in the senior team and could play a pivotal role in gathering key data as Red Bull looks for solutions. But for now, all eyes are on McLaren — and Red Bull finds itself in the unfamiliar position of having to respond.
