The RB22 did not perform as hoped in qualifying, and there is always something every weekend, Max Verstappen noted on Saturday in Monza in front of the Dutch media. “The team is working hard on it, I am too, but I am not an engineer. It’s not the fault of just one person.”
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The problems at the rear of the car logically cost him lap time. And it is an issue that has been occurring from time to time for years. Verstappen: “We have been looking for answers for a very long time. We know where it is, I have been struggling with it for years.”
Notably, the extent to which he experiences it can vary per circuit. Especially the amount of kerbs and hard impacts seem to play a role. “If there are weekends where you drive less over the kerbs or have fewer hard impacts, you suffer less from it,” he explains. “In Zandvoort, I didn’t do a lap, so you don’t know how it would have gone there.”
After the third free practice in Italy, the Dutchman still had a good feeling about the car, but in qualifying the problem at the rear of the car unfortunately appeared. Verstappen remains calm under the issue and says he gives his maximum every weekend. Also in Monza, he assures.
“I want to get the best out of it. You always try that. But if that doesn’t work because something goes wrong, I do get frustrated. On the other hand: you’re not fighting for the championship, so that puts it into perspective.”
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