Red Bull to retrace steps to boost Max Verstappen Canadian GP hopes

Max Verstappen will revert to an older set-up ahead of Canadian Grand Prix qualifying after experiencing what Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko described as a handling issue with his RB21 during Friday practice.

For the first time this year, Verstappen topped a practice session with the leading time in FP1 at Montreal's Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, only to fall away in FP2, in which he was ninth quickest, over half a second behind pacesetter George Russell in his Mercedes.

"There were two small changes between practice one and practice two that had a relatively strong negative effect on handling," Marko told Sky DE.

"That means we're going back [to the previous set-up], but that shows how narrow the window is in which our car operates."

Marko, though, is confident Verstappen will be firmly in the mix for both qualifying and the race.

"I think the long run was very good," he added. "We were roughly on par with Piastri, and tyre wear was also kept within the limits. So we're looking forward to tomorrow with optimism. I believe we're among the frontrunners."

Verstappen, meanwhile, simply stated his day was "pretty okay" given the differences he experienced in his car between the two sessions.

The four-time F1 champion feels that if the performance of the car in the first session can be rediscovered, then he will be in a good position.

"I was happy with the car in the first free practice, although it was a bit more difficult to drive in the second," he said. "We lost some of the balance, so we have to investigate that.

"If we can regain the feeling of the first free practice, it looks good. So all in all, it was a positive day for us."