Max Verstappen pinpoints two critical factors for Red Bull improvement

Max Verstappen identified one-lap pace and long-run tyre understanding as the two key areas Red Bull must address after finishing fifth in FP1 and sixth in FP2 on the opening day of the Spanish Grand Prix at the Madring.

The four-time F1 drivers' champion ended FP2 four-tenths adrift of session-topping Kimi Antonelli, having earlier trailed George Russell by six tenths of a second in FP1 as Mercedes dominated proceedings on the new Madrid circuit.

It was far from a disastrous day, but equally not a straightforward one. Verstappen was heard over team radio during the sessions complaining that the RB22 felt "loose" on corner exits while battling "weird understeer" through the middle of corners, telling the team at one point: "Car is still loose… I need the other wing," as Red Bull trialled different rear wing configurations throughout the day.

Despite the radio frustrations, Verstappen was measured in his assessment afterwards, zeroing in on two specific areas where gains must be found ahead of qualifying.

"Yeah, not too bad, just trying to find a little bit more pace over one lap, trying to understand the tyres a little bit more in the long run, and then just getting properly up to speed a bit more lap after lap," Verstappen said after FP2.

Eyes on Saturday

The Madring, hosting its first-ever Formula 1 event, threw up challenges for the entire grid on Friday. Traffic proved a persistent headache in FP1, with Lewis Hamilton at the centre of several impeding complaints, while Arvid Lindblad's crash at Turn 13 brought out the first red flag of the weekend in FP2.

For Verstappen, the priority is clear, and Friday's running left the 71-time grand prix winner wanting more from the car's balance across all corner types and tyre compounds.

"Everything was okay," he added. "There are always little things in a practice session that you want to work on, improve on. So that's what we'll try to do for tomorrow, and then we'll see where we end up.

"It will always help if you have a clean one [FP3] compared to a messy one," he added. "But we'll see if we can find a little bit more performance in the car."