Max Verstappen not confident about Red Bull’s straight line pace

Max Verstappen has been put to the sword for his overtaking skills in China, but Red Bull did have a good enough weekend as Daniel Ricciardo managed to craft out a win starting the race from P6.

Ricciardo put on a show in Shanghai, overtaking drivers at will, and bringing Red Bull’s race speed to the fore.

And while Red Bull do have a good enough race speed, their straight line pace isn’t quite up to the mark, something that Verstappen fears could be exposed big time at the Azerbaijan GP.

The Baku circuit has a lot of straights and has often witnessed some of the highest speeds of the year.

Red Bull are still way off Mercedes’ and Ferrari’s straight line pace and hence could suffer big time in the Azerbaijan GP.

“It’s a nice circuit even though it isn’t ideally suited to our car,” said Verstappen.

“The straight is so long which means we miss out on some valuable time there.

“Last year I think we managed to drive around our problems really well and therefore be competitive come the race day.” he added.

Verstappen does not have fond memories from last year’s Grand Prix, as he was forced to retire due to a power unit problem.

“Last year was a very unfortunate weekend for me,” he said.

“It was a shame because the car felt really good but I encountered a lot of problems which ultimately meant I missed out on a potential podium, perhaps even a win. I’m hoping this year I can make up for that lost opportunity.” he concluded.

Daniel Ricciardo though was victorious at last year’s Azerbaijan GP and would be hoping for more of the same.