Deployment shortfall left Verstappen feeling 'like a turtle' at Monza

Max Verstappen says Red Bull’s deficit to Mercedes on the straights was clear at the Italian Grand Prix, as he felt like “a turtle” at times when fighting for victory.

Red Bull’s power unit has been deemed to have the strongest internal combustion engine (ICE) by the FIA, but Verstappen feels it is lacking severely in deployment compared to its main rivals. After fighting with Kimi Antonelli and George Russell on his way to third place at Monza, Verstappen says he enjoyed the way he had to retake positions but was powerless to defend.

“To be honest, not a lot [of enjoyment] when people just drive by you like you’re a turtle!” Verstappen said. “But just send it back around the outside. The car is good on the brakes, so that helps, so good confidence to attack the braking zones. And two times in the start I managed to do that in Turn 2 and 4.

“It is enjoyable, but at the same time frustrating, you know. But I just try to maximize everything that I can.

“I think it was quite clear during the race that we just can’t keep up with the deployment of the Mercedes-powered cars, and of course that is very tough on a track like Monza. With the overtake mode it looked quite promising, but as soon as I got in the lead, it was very hard to defend. And that has been a bit my problem throughout the whole race.

“Even when we had the VSC, we boxed, had better tires, I’m overtaking cars, but as soon as they can hang in that overtake mode, it’s just too powerful for us to actually really defend that, even on better tires. So, it took me a while even to clear the McLarens.

“But for us to be on the podium, I think after a very difficult weekend in Zandvoort, where the car was not really to my liking, we managed to have a strong turnaround from Friday to Saturday and the car was definitely in a better window. But we still have a few bits and areas that we know need to be better, plus the obvious deployment on the straights.”

Verstappen often reports a problem with the rear end of his Red Bull and referenced it on multiple occasions in Italy, with a weakness that could prove even more pronounced in Madrid.

“It’s still there” he said. “I mean, nothing changed. It’s just not good. You struggle on the bumps, the curbs, in the low-speed especially. It’s still like the rear axle is just not very compliant. So, for sure, it was not ideal again [in Monza] and costing performance, but it’s what it is.”