Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has downplayed fears over Max Verstappen's Formula 1 gearbox after problems in Canadian Grand Prix final practice. The Red Bull driver complained of consistent downshift problems throughout the wet session in Montreal, but the Dutchman secured the fastest time in the session that started on extreme Wets, switched to Intermediates and returned to full Wet tyre conditions, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc the only driver to set a time within a second of Verstappen's effort. But the two-time World Champion was unhappy with the downshifts in his RB19 throughout the session, constantly radioing his team to find a solution. "It is just a setting," Horner told Sky Sports F1. "There wasn't the ability to change the setting in the car running around, it is a sort of data reset. "It is just the tuning for the conditions, you are being a lot softer with the downshifts in wet conditions."
No concerns over Perez form
Verstappen's form underlines his favouritism tag ahead of qualifying expected to take place in similar conditions. But Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez was unable to match his title rival's time, finishing only 17th. "Max had a good session, he found a rhythm pretty quickly and was able to work away at it," explained Horner. "Checo got a little bit out of rhythm but I am not too worried, he will find it for quali. [It was] very tough because the circuit started out wet, dried out a little and was really wet at the end there. "Visibility is pretty tough around here, the big, wide tyres chuck up a big amount of spray. We got a lot of good information and it looks as though it will stick around for quali as well."
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