Max Verstappen and Red Bull are still lacking the pace needed the challenge Ferrari during qualifying, especially at street circuits, says Jos Verstappen. The former F1 driver has watched Charles Leclerc claim pole position ahead of his son at the last four Grands Prix. Leclerc is fast making a name for himself as the driver to fear during Q3 sessions - while Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez repeatedly leave themselves with plenty to do on race day. But Jos says his son's inability to put together a perfect qualifying lap behind the wheel of the RB18 remains the only chink in his and Red Bull's armour after a mighty start to 2022. "The only thing that’s still lacking is qualifying," he said, in his Verstappen.com column. "On Saturday (in Baku) you could see the frustration during the post-session interview because it’s not yet going like he wants it to. "If they can sort out the qualifying, things will be easier for him. On street circuits, this is even more evident. There is less rubber and he has more difficulty to rotate the car quickly."
Jos: Max is motivated by what happened in Monaco
Despite counting only one pole position and two retirements so far this year, Verstappen is just six points down on the total he had amassed at this stage of his World Championship-winning campaign. Red Bull boss Christian Horner says the 24-year-old is driving with fresh confidence - but the weekends that do not go his way offer him inspiration, explained his father. "The good news is that during a race, the Red Bull goes like a rocket," Jos continued. "The balance of the car is good. During a long run, the tyres behave differently and the car becomes quicker with turning. Max can deal with that very well. "Max is great in driving consistent lap times. He can drive every lap 100% accurate: boom, boom, same time. You could see Max was very motivated. That had of course to do with the previous race in Monaco, but he doesn’t really let it get to him. "I think that’s very beautiful, it only makes him better. A challenged Max is an even better Max."
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