Max Verstappen fought back to third place at Monza, but had to dig deep for it. The Red Bull driver states that his team could not keep up with Mercedes’ energy usage, forcing him to fight his way forward multiple times with extremely late braking reactions. Despite the problems at the rear of his RB22 and the lack of energy, Verstappen managed to secure his fifth podium of the season, but he was not yet satisfied.
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The problems Verstappen faced on Saturday were still present on Sunday. The Dutchman complained during the race about a rear axle that did not feel right and confirmed afterwards that the wear at the back of the car cost him pace again. “The problem was still there, nothing had changed,” responded a realistic Verstappen during the official FIA press conference. “It’s just not good. We struggle with the bumps, the kerbstones, and especially at low speeds,” he listed. “It seems the rear axle is just not very smooth. So today was certainly not ideal again and it cost us performance, but it is what it is.”
According to Verstappen, an even bigger problem was energy management. Mercedes was able to use the available electric boost much more efficiently, which gave a huge advantage on the long straights of Monza. “I think it was quite clear during the race that we simply cannot keep up with the Mercedes cars, and that is of course very difficult on a circuit like Monza,” he admitted.
Red Bull a turtle
“It’s not very nice when people just drive past you as if you’re a turtle,” he concluded dryly. “But yes, then you just push them back to the outside. The car brakes well, so that helps. I had confidence to attack in the braking zones. I managed that twice in turns two and four. It’s fun, but at the same time also frustrating. I’m just trying to get everything out of it that I can. Of course, our pace looked promising with the overtaking mode, but once I was in the lead, it was very difficult to defend it. And that was actually our Achilles heel for the whole race.”
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“Even after the VSC, when we had better tires, Mercedes was too strong to defend against,” Verstappen sighed. Yet relief prevails, especially after the frustrations of the previous Dutch GP. “That after a very difficult weekend in Zandvoort, where the car was not really to my liking, we stand on the podium is positive,” said Verstappen. “We made a strong transition from Friday to Saturday and the car was certainly in a better flow. But there are still a few things we need to improve on, plus the obvious setup on the straights.”
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