Max Verstappen is eager to put the past race weekend in Austria behind him. The Dutch world champion reveals this while also looking ahead to the British Grand Prix. Yuki Tsunoda also hopes to make progress during the upcoming home race weekend for Red Bull. The Japanese driver finds it frustrating that he is still lacking pace in his long runs.
With his retirement in Austria, a streak of 31 races in which Max Verstappen crossed the finish line came to an end. It was the first time since the Australian Grand Prix in 2024 that the Dutchman did not reach the finish line, but that was due to a brake issue. In Austria, it was Mercedes rookie Andrea Kimi Antonelli who was behind Verstappen’s retirement. The young Italian collided with his W16 on the RB21 of the four-time world champion, and both drivers did not make it past the opening round.
Unsurprisingly, Verstappen labels the Austrian GP as ‘a weekend to forget’ in his preview of the race in England. “We had quite a bit of bad luck, and it wasn’t the result we wanted. But we will come back stronger,” the Red Bull driver remains positive. “Hopefully, we can find some more pace in the car, so we are more competitive during the team’s next home race.” Red Bull has its headquarters in Milton Keynes, England, a half-hour drive from the Silverstone circuit.
‘Frustrating’
Teammate Yuki Tsunoda hopes to have the opportunity to show what he’s capable of in Silverstone. The Japanese driver has not been able to score a point in four races, with his sixteenth and last place in Austria being the most recent low point. “Unfortunately, the weekend in Austria did not go as we wanted. We have to accept that,” says the Red Bull driver, who indicates that he is gaining more and more confidence in the unpredictable RB21. “That’s why it’s so frustrating that I don’t have a good pace in the long runs.”
However, the Japanese driver also sees a small glimmer of hope at the end of the tunnel. “The positive is that I have shown that we have the potential to qualify well, it’s now about getting the setup right and putting in a good lap,” concludes Tsunoda.
