Verstappen took pole in the first seven races of 2024, but has not taken a pole since the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. And after losing to Norris in qualifying in Spain before narrowly beating his friend and rival in the race, Verstappen was generous in praising what McLaren is currently achieving on the track.
“I always knew it was going to be very close,” Verstappen said after the Barcelona race. “And McLaren is doing a really good job. They have brought a lot of good upgrades to their car and it really seems to work. And for our part, we have contributed things to the car, but probably not as much lap time as what others have contributed to their cars.
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“So now it’s up to us to try to find a little bit more, to try to make that little leap forward again. Because I think today we lacked a little bit of that absolute pace, but also when we had to push, we couldn’t take care of the tires like Lando did, for example.
“So these types of things are crucial on most tracks where there is a bit of grade. [degradation]. So yes, we have to try to improve on that.”
Despite McLaren’s good recent form, Ferrari remains ahead of them in P2 in the constructors championshipwhile the leader Red Bull has a 93-point advantage over the Woking team.