Max Verstappen managed to dodge all the adversities during the Canadian GP weekend to claim his 60th Grand Prix win. However, the Dutchman feels that they as a team left a lot on the table and are doing so this year in terms of the operational execution. In the post-race presser in Montreal, Verstappen highlighted this aspect and explained how smooth their working flow was during the dominant 2023 season.
As quoted by Formula1.com, the 26-year-old said, “We are still doing a lot of things right, but for whatever reason, we are not in that same flow as we had last year, where everything just seemed to be going really well for us at most places, no reliability issues. And I don’t know, for whatever reason, it’s all a bit more difficult this year.”
Verstappen hit the nail on the head, as Red Bull were flawless on all fronts last season – from strategy to pitstops and maximizing race results. Even when either of the cars had to start from lower down the grid, their race strategy and execution helped them gain as many places as possible.
Though, as the competition has increased this year, the Austrian team’s pace advantage is teetering. On top of that, some fundamental issues with the car’s suspension design has handicapped them with Ferrari and McLaren piling up the pressure.
As a result, mistakes on the strategy end and several other errors are natural to happen from Red Bull. Verstappen feels that they are “a bit in a spiral” and may take time to recover from this slump of form. Regardless, the Milton Keynes outfit is atop the constructors standings and the three-time champion is their saving grace, helping them to stay on top.
Max Verstappen powering Red Bull on his own
After the Monaco GP, Red Bull only had a 24-point lead over Ferrari in second place in the standings. As per their lofty dominant standards, this was quite a surprise for many. Although, coming into Canada, Verstappen’s win and Ferrari’s abysmal double DNF has given the champion team some breathing room.
The three-time champion was the only points-scorer among Red Bull and Ferrari. Thus, his points haul has extended the Austrian team’s lead to 49 points after Montreal. Even the team is counting on the ‘Verstappen factor’ bailing them out in this sudden slump of performance.
However, with Ferrari and McLaren and now even Mercedes closing the gap down, even Verstappen could succumb to the pressure if his team doesn’t sort out its performance and operational issues. While they are still on top of many things, the car’s limitations at certain tracks is not helping the Dutchman to unleash his level best.
