As the Italian Grand Prix weekend kicked off, Red Bull Racing found themselves in a challenging position. Both Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen faced difficulties during Friday’s practice sessions, struggling to keep up with the leading contenders. The team is now focused on addressing these issues ahead of the main events.
The weekend marks Lawson’s second appearance with Red Bull, stepping in once again for the injured Isack Hadjar. The New Zealander showed promise in free practice 1, finishing fourth, but faced more challenges in the afternoon session, ending up in twelfth place. His focus during Free Practice 2 was on long runs, which he believes will provide valuable learning opportunities.
Lawson’s Learning Curve in Italy
Lawson expressed satisfaction with his day, describing it as productive. He emphasized the importance of the long runs they conducted, which will help him improve his race performance. Reflecting on his previous race in Zandvoort, Lawson acknowledged his struggles and is determined to learn from them.
Liam Lawson stated, “It was okay. It’s been, I would say, a productive day. We spent most of FP2 doing long running. We did a short run at the start and felt okay, and then we just did two long runs on the soft and hard [tyre]. For me, it’s good learning. I think I struggled more in Zandvoort in the race versus Qualifying, so I will try and learn what I can from it.”
Verstappen’s Struggles and Technical Challenges
Max Verstappen, the four-time World Champion, had a challenging day as well. He missed the opening practice session, with reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa taking his place. Verstappen faced issues with car balance and persistent bouncing during Free Practice 2, which affected his performance. The team’s Technical Director, Pierre Wache, acknowledged these problems and the need to address them overnight.
Wache mentioned, “We discovered some other issues with the car during FP2, especially on his car that we have to try and understand during this evening and for sure, fix for tomorrow. We try to close the gap to the top. Normally on one lap, we are a little bit behind and on a long run, it’s a little bit better but difficult to say. Everybody in the team is trying to close this gap for sure.”
Realistic Expectations for Monza
Looking ahead to the Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen has adopted a realistic approach. He acknowledged the team’s current performance levels and the need to focus on having a good weekend. Despite winning at Monza last season, Verstappen is keeping his expectations modest this time around.
Verstappen said, “Let’s see. Of course I’m not doing FP1, so we’ll see afterwards how the car will be. Trying to get it into a nice window, but at the same time we also need to be realistic, where we are at the moment as a team and how we’re performing. We’ll just try to have a good weekend. I know it’s already going to be very complex with the energy around here, so we just need to try and understand that first and then we’ll just see from there where we are in the pecking order.”
Reflecting on the recent Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen admitted that even if he had continued, it wouldn’t have been a strong outing for the team. He looked back on the experience with positivity, highlighting the great moments with the fans and the
As the team works to address the issues, all eyes are on Red Bull to see how they will perform in the upcoming sessions and the main race. The Italian Grand Prix promises to be an exciting event, with Red Bull aiming to close the gap and improve their performance.
