Verstappen downplays Red Bull expectations for Canada

Max Verstappen has moved to downplay predictions of a Red Bull resurgence at the Canadian Grand Prix, off the back of the team's most difficult weekend since Singapore last year.

Having begun the current campaign by continuing its imperious form from 2023, the Milton Keynes squad has endured tougher times of late. 

That downturn reached a head at the Monaco Grand Prix, with Sergio Perez knocked out in the first part of qualifying and Verstappen only able to set the sixth-fastest time - the position he finished the race in.

The nexus of the issues facing Red Bull is the rapid improvement from McLaren and Ferrari, which is exposing underlying weaknesses in the RB20 - an inability to ride kerbs being the most amplified of those.

The nature of the streets of Monte Carlo brought this inherent problem to the fore, and with the track in Montreal sharing the same kerb-riding characteristics, Verstappen is not predicting Red Bull's strongest weekend.

"We have to wait and see - new surface as well," he told media including RacingNews365 when asks about the team's prospects in Canada. "I think that might always give you some surprises.

"But it's probably also not going to be our strongest weekend because of that, but probably a little bit better than here [the Monaco Grand Prix]."

'We didn't deserve to be there...'

Verstappen was outspoken about his dissatisfaction with the RB20's pace in Monaco, highlighting the team's need to improve some of the more extreme tendencies of the car. 

Red Bull struggled in the principality last season, but with its rivals closing in, previously undetected or inconsequential issues are becoming more pronounced. The 26-year-old, however, was quick to highlight that the team understands the gravity of the situation.

"I think we take everything very seriously, but sometimes things are not very easy to fix," he explained. "But we are working flat out on it.

Despite the difficult weekend in Monaco, the Dutchman remained level-headed about the team's performance, pointing out that it did not deserve to be in the fight for the race victory and that unlocking lap time remains the central focus.

"I think it's more just your pace of the car that we need to work on," he said. "Of course, I would have liked to be there [in the podium-finishers' press conference], but we didn't deserve to be there this weekend. So, that's how it goes."