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Honda upgrade for French GP fell short says Verstappen
Max Verstappen says Red Bull is currently the third-quickest team because Honda’s upgrade at the French Grand Prix did not provide as big a step as other power unit manufacturers have achieved.
Honda brought its second updated power unit to last weekend’s race at Paul Ricard, with both Red Bulls and Toro Rosso's Daniil Kvyat getting the new specification.
While Ferrari has been quick in a straight line, an update introduced by Mercedes in Canada also showed good performance in France, while the Renault-powered McLaren was notably quick on the straights there.
Verstappen says further progress from Honda is needed.
“We'll probably finish fourth or fifth (in Austria), though that depends on Ferrari making mistakes,” Verstappen said. “Maybe even third if both Ferraris make a mistake! We're just lacking pace at the moment; you have to accept that and, in the meantime, keep working hard on the car and mostly the power unit.
“You can see Ferrari and Mercedes have made another step. Renault, too. I think ours was just not big enough here, so we have work to do.”
Reflecting on his performance in France, Verstappen pointed out that he didn’t feel far off Charles Leclerc’s pace for the majority of the race but couldn’t match him in the closing stages.
“The start was pretty good. After that, you saw we're lacking top speed. The first lap was tough, but after that I got into my own rhythm. I tried to follow the Ferrari ahead, which worked for a time. But in the last six laps or so, I couldn't keep that up with the tires; and after that extra stop by (Sebastian) Vettel, there was no pressure from behind so I cruised home.
“The team kept telling me about Mercedes and Ferrari lap times, but I told them I really couldn't go any quicker. I was trying everything I could.”
Verstappen has finished in the top four in every race except Canada so far this season, crossing the line fifth in Montreal.
Chris Medland
While studying Sports Journalism at the University of Central Lancashire, Chris managed to talk his way into working at the British Grand Prix in 2008 and was retained for three years before joining ESPN F1 as Assistant Editor. After three further years at ESPN, a spell as F1 Editor at Crash Media Group was followed by the major task of launching F1i.com’s English-language website and running it as Editor. Present at every race since the start of 2014, he has continued building his freelance portfolio, working with international titles. As well as writing for RACER, his broadcast work includes television appearances on F1 TV and as a presenter and reporter on North America's live radio coverage on SiriusXM.
Read Chris Medland's articles
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