Max Verstappen has revealed that the cause of the problems he faced with his car at the Austrian Grand Prix have been identified. The weekend proved to be one of mixed fortunes for Verstappen, with the Dutchman clinching pole position in Friday's qualifying and going on to win Saturday's Sprint, before facing a much more challenging day in Sunday's race. Verstappen had struggled with tyre degradation in the Grand Prix, but the reason for this was unclear at the time.
Verstappen: Problems were not just tyre-related
In the time since events in Austria, Red Bull have been able to gain more of an understanding of what caused their issues, and Verstappen has suggested that the problems were not just focused on tyre degradation. "I think it was not only tyres-related," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.com , ahead of the French Grand Prix. "I think also the way we set up the car. Not purely from set-up, but also just the package of the car I think was not correct in Austria, which we found out. "I hope with the things we learned that, in general, we will be more competitive [in France]."
Weekend format in Austria didn't help, says Verstappen
With the addition of the Sprint at the Austrian Grand Prix, this meant that only one practice session took place ahead of qualifying, and Verstappen feels that this did not help. "It's not ideal," the 2021 World Champion admitted. "It [was] quite hectic, that weekend, and we found out towards the end of the weekend that it was clearly not what we expected from the car." Verstappen was pressed further on whether the problems were related to some set-up aspects that he might do differently at the French Grand Prix, to which he answered: "No. It was just a few things together." And when quizzed on the possibility of going back on the latest updates, Verstappen then coyly added: "Just different ideas." The 24-year-old arrives into the French GP weekend with a 38-point lead in the World Championship standings over Charles Leclerc.
Most read
