Despite pulling off some surprising feats in the Red Bull qualifiers this season after disappointing Fridays, Max Verstappen holds little hope for Saturday in Imola. The Dutchman was candid after both free practice sessions for the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix. “I don’t have high expectations,” he said.
Verstappen placed seventh in the first practice session, and his arm gestures during the training clearly showed his dissatisfaction in the onboard footage. The second training session went slightly better: he finished fifth and saw some improvements. “We tried a lot of new things,” said the reigning world champion after the second free practice in Imola. “Some worked better than others, but overall, we’re not fast enough.”
To potentially outperform an expectedly dominant McLaren, or at least attempt to, a pole position is almost required. Verstappen has already outperformed Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri several times this season in the qualifiers. That will also need to happen on Saturday if he wants to stand a chance. But even then, Sunday will be challenging.
“I don’t have high expectations,” he said about the qualifiers. “We still have a lot of work to do. The balance needs to be better to go faster.” Verstappen also predicts that the race will be difficult, regardless: “The same applies to the long runs. I was overtaken by the McLarens and they drove away from me. That says enough, I think.”
