Max Verstappen: “We didn’t get the balance that we had hoped for”

Max Verstappen admitted Oracle Red Bull Racing have work to do overnight to correct the balance issues they faced during free practice for the French Grand Prix on Friday.

The Dutchman was edged out from top spot by Scuderia Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc in the first session at the Circuit Paul Ricard, while he ended third behind both Leclerc and session leader Carlos Sainz Jr. in the second session.

Verstappen feels Red Bull have a better car over the long runs, which bodes well for race day, but they are just lacking something when it comes to the qualifying simulations, something he hopes they can overcome before Saturday’s running in France.

“I think FP2 was a little bit more difficult for us than FP1 as we didn’t get the balance that we had hoped for,” said Verstappen. “We were also trying different things with the car.

“We’ll have a look at it all overnight and of course try to be quicker tomorrow. I think the long run is better but the tyres are running really hot so it’s difficult to judge where you really are.

“Overall, this track is tough on tyres, I think we all needed a few more laps to have a more accurate look at the long runs.”

“I am not overly comfortable with the car at the moment” – Sergio Pérez

Team-mate Sergio Pérez did not have the best of Friday’s in France, with the Mexican admitting he was not feeling as comfortable behind the wheel of the RB18 as he would have liked.

Pérez was sixth fastest in the first session but only tenth in the second, although he did very limited running on the soft tyre, and he hopes to find that missing bit of pace before the important Qualifying session on Saturday afternoon.

“We had a delay in this session due to a bit of an issue with one of the roll bars but it was nothing major,” said Pérez.  “I am not overly comfortable with the car at the moment, I think there is some good work and understanding to be done overnight.  

“We also only had a short stint on the soft tyre but hopefully tomorrow we are able to pull it all together and be in the fight for qualifying and the race on Sunday.”

Sergio Pérez had a difficult day in the second Red Bull – Credit: Octane Photographic Ltd