The mysteries of the RB22
Max Verstappen will start from sixth position in tomorrow’s Canadian GP. A result in line with the expectations of the eve and indeed the gap – less than four tenths from George Russell’s pole position – would seem encouraging for Red Bull. But to dampen any kind of positive signal was the Dutchman himself, first communicating with the team via radio and then in the traditional post-qualifying interviews in which he basically confessed that he does not understand anything about what is happening with his RB22.
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“Actually, I have no idea what happened during qualifying – admitted Verstappen with disarming honesty, to the microphones of the Dutch TV Viaplay – with every lap I did, the more I drove the more I slowed down on the straights. I was gaining time in the corners, but losing more than I gained on the straights. I have no idea if we did things right there. I asked a couple of times [to the team], but I got no answer. I had no feedback. Probably they themselves didn’t know why [this was happening]”.
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Verstappen also said he does not particularly like the setup the team is insisting he use: “I tried something with the car, the team wanted it so I said: ‘Sure’. But clearly it’s not the right way. It was predictable, but now we are sure. I tried it many times [this setup], but it never works. They are convinced, but it’s clear it doesn’t work“, concluded the Dutch #3. And tomorrow’s race, with these premises, promises to be very long…
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