Verstappen, a tricky start to the weekend and a complicated sequel?

Could his lack of driving on Friday have an impact on the weekend as a whole? Max Verstappen did not appear with a smile at the end of the day during which he only participated in EL2 after having left his place to Isack Hadjar during the first.

The Dutchman therefore only had one hour to really get into the swing of things and make his own adjustments. Unfortunately, he seemed to be suffering from his lack of track time given his pace, as he was unable to do better than 17th in the second session of the day. Fortunately for him, he quickly identified the first problems, which he now hopes to resolve before tackling qualifying this Saturday.

« It was above all a problem of balance., assured Max Verstappen in the Yas Marina paddock. I didn't have balance, especially between the entry and the middle of the corner. That makes it difficult, especially when you have to push. That's something we have to work on. »

Ahead of him, the four-time world champion will have a final free practice session (11:30) this Saturday. The opportunity to see if his feedback has been applied to make his RB20 less capricious. However, he does not expect a miracle like in Qatar and to suddenly fight for pole position. According to him, the gap with McLaren notably seems quite large at present.

« I am convinced that we can do better., he adds. I'm not saying we'll be at the level of McLaren, because they've looked very quick since the start of the weekend, but if we manage to get into the top six, we'll have recovered well, because so far it's been very tricky. »

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