Because F1 returns to the Circuit de Catalunya-Barcelona, a traditional track on the calendar, Red Bull is the heavy favorite heading into the Spanish GP weekend. However, Max Verstappen doesn’t believe that victory is a sure shot. The 26-year-old has muted expectations because the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes are in a much stronger position than they were a year ago.
Verstappen doesn’t discount victory but predicts a difficult weekend for Red Bull. He feels that McLaren has been fast in almost all circuits, and will likely follow suit in Barcelona. He also praises Ferrari and Mercedes, highlighting their “good progress” as of late.
Ahead of the Spanish GP, Verstappen said in the press conference (as per Formu1a.uno),
“So definitely, when you can be fast in Monaco and Montreal when you don’t have any kind of problem with the curbs anyway, and you still have pretty good performance at high speed, then you should be pretty decent here too“.
Barcelona 2023 took Max’s aMount of F1 Pole Positions to 24 #F1 || #SpanishGP pic.twitter.com/eiOvgljlTh
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) June 18, 2024
Red Bull struggled on the street circuits early on this season but Barcelona’s layout has experts predicting a comfortable victory for the Milton-Keynes-based team’s star man. This is because the RB20 has the best overall package, and any track with a mixture of high, medium, and slow-speed corners should favor them.
At the same time, it is pertinent to note that results have not always played out as per expectation this season. And who better to know that than Verstappen and Red Bull themselves?
Max Verstappen surprised everyone with a win in Canada
Verstappen struggled comprehensively in Monaco, because of which many thought he would struggle in Canada too. Bumps and kerbs in the Principality made for a nervous build-up for Verstappen and Co. heading into Montreal, but not only did the Dutchman get the pole position, but he also got the win.
MAX VERSTAPPEN WINS A CRAZY CANADIAN GRAND PRIX
Lando Norris comes home second for the third time this year George Russell scores his first podium of the season #F1 #CanadianGP pic.twitter.com/8zWq9VSMaa
— Formula 1 (@F1) June 9, 2024
Therefore, Red Bull’s rivals getting the better of them in Spain (a track favoring them on paper) won’t be particularly surprising. McLaren’s Lando Norris is confident of taking the fight to Verstappen. Per ESPN, the Bristol-born driver said,
“I think it’s just going to be a close fight between everyone. But the main thing is we’ve been good everywhere so far, so I think we have good confidence that we just keep doing what we’re doing.“
However, McLaren may not be the only side who takes the fight to Red Bull in Barcelona. With Ferrari bringing a major upgrade this weekend, both Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz will ensure that they take Verstappen and Red Bull down to the wire.
