The first two practice sessions of the 2023 Canadian GP weekend were eventful, to say the least. FP1 saw a huge disruption affecting the drivers due to technical difficulties, whereas the fans and teams had to brave heavy rainfall during FP2. However, no driver or team was as distraught with Friday’s proceedings in Montreal as Max Verstappen and Red Bull.
Verstappen suffered immensely in what was arguably his most difficult day so far this season. In FP1, the Dutchman was fifth in the final standings although he admittedly didn’t get a lot of track time due to the shortened session. FP2, however, was a different story, with Verstappen nowhere near the top, despite getting plenty of laps in. In the second session on Friday, Verstappen was able to muster up a P6 finish, four-tenths behind leader Lewis Hamilton.
Biggest learning of the day: groundhogs run 🇨🇦 who’s ready for qualifying day?! #FP2 result 🏁 HAM, RUS, SAI, ALO, LEC, Max P6, BOT, Checo P8, STR, GAS. pic.twitter.com/RNMRjOXsHJ
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) June 16, 2023
In F1, the results we see during Fp1 and FP2 cannot be taken as clear indicators of how a race weekend will go. Nevertheless, Verstappen doesn’t have a good feeling ahead of qualifying on Saturday. The Red Bull aced admitted that he isn’t happy with the car.
Canadian GP weekend not going as planned for Max Verstappen
After FP2, Verstappen talked about the shortcomings of the RB19 for the first time this year. So far, he has been dominant, but he doesn’t see it continuing unless the car gets better. What happened in Canada on Friday was contrary to what everyone predicted.
“It wasn’t very straightforward with no running in F1,” said Verstappen in the post-race interview. “At least we could get a bit of running in FP2. But I think we still have a bit of work to do. The car is not fantastic at the moment over the bumps and the curbs.”
Verstappen wasn’t the only Red Bull driver to struggle on Friday. His teammate Perez didn’t fare much better either. In FP1, he was P4 and finished four places below that in FP2. So far, it appears that Red Bull is struggling, and it opens up an opportunity for other teams, like Aston Martin and Mercedes to capitalize on the Austrian squad’s problems this weekend.
Verstappen, meanwhile, is also hoping for weather to be on their side for the race on Sunday. Rain on Friday made his entire run very tricky, which is something he is looking to avoid on race-day.
Lewis Hamilton shuts rumors of Mercedes’ struggles
After the Spanish GP, Mercedes team boss Toto Wolff insisted that they would struggle in Canada. This prediction came despite them securing a double podium finish in Barcelona, and it may have eased their rivals’ nerves ahead of the Canadian GP.
Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, however, led Mercedes to a P1 and P2 finish respectively, in FP2. Plus, they were incredibly close to each other with Russell finishing just 0.027 seconds behind his seven-time world champion teammate.
For Mercedes, this is a good sign. They will be hoping to build on their great display on Friday, by aiming for a race win, that will make them the first non-Red Bull team to win a Grand Prix this year. However, a better picture for the race can only be painted after qualifying on Saturday sets the final grid.
