Max Verstappen is not experiencing the dream start to the Italian Grand Prix weekend. During the second free practice at Monza – the first time the Dutchman has been behind the wheel of the RB22 since his crash at Zandvoort – the Red Bull driver only managed ninth place. Over the radio, Verstappen complains among other things about a lack of downforce and grip: ‘It’s like I’m driving on ice’.
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During the first free practice at Monza, Max Verstappen had to watch reserve driver Ayumu Iwasa take the wheel of his RB22. However, the second free practice for the Red Bull driver was mainly marked by the world champion’s ongoing struggles with his car.
‘This is very bad’
For the Dutchman, the lack of grip was especially a sore point. “This is very bad. I have absolutely no downforce on this car,” he said to engineer Tom Hart over the radio. Hart is replacing Verstappen’s regular pit wall engineer Gianpiero Lambiase this weekend. Although Red Bull made a few changes to the RB22, it was not enough.
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“The car also has no grip in corners 1, 2, 4, and 5. It’s like I’m driving on ice,” Verstappen further reported. “And the brakes don’t work either. It’s all much worse with a lot of fuel on board. The car bounces incredibly and now the right side is the victim. The tire degradation also feels very inconsistent. It’s super confusing.” Verstappen ended the second free practice at the Temple of Speed in ninth place.
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