Max Verstappen has said that overnight set-up changes will be required if he and Red Bull are to battle for pole position in Monaco, stating that the car’s handling is “missing” for rivals Ferrari, while mentioning Aston Martin as a challenging potential. .
Verstappen had a slow start to the weekend posting only the sixth fastest time in the first practicebut enjoyed a stronger FP2 session to finish the first day at the top of the time sheets, just ahead of Ferrari pairing Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz.
READ MORE: Verstappen leads Leclerc as Sainz crashes during ultra-close second practice in Monaco
However, the Dutchman was not happy with his car’s balance on the tight and twisty Monte Carlo circuit, believing that Ferrari currently has the advantage in several key areas as it stands.
“I think FP1 was quite difficult, I was not very happy with the handling of the car on the curbs and the potholes,” said Verstappen. “I think FP2 was already much better, the car was much more competitive.
“But especially compared to Ferrari, I think we’re still a bit lacking in the overall handling of the car, how it handles curbs, potholes, camber drops, so it’s still something we need to work on for tomorrow.
“You can see they are very, very close, and knowing that once we get to the limit in qualifying, we need a little bit more. [performance] to be in front of them. I think there is still a bit of scope to go in the same direction even more and I hope it will be even better for tomorrow.”
As for Aston Martin, who was two tenths behind in P4 with Fernando Alonso, Verstappen added: “They are close too. We definitely need to build a bit more damper if we want to get ahead of them tomorrow.”
Across the Red Bull garage, Sergio Pérez finished the day in seventh position, more than half a second behind Verstappen, with the Mexican feeling his set-up was worsening as practice progressed.
“Today was not a great day, in terms of the pace in the car,” he admitted. “I think FP1 was a bit better than FP2… The changes we made, I think we have a lot of things to review and try to get the best parts for tomorrow’s qualifying.
“I think I just need to sit down with the guys and go through it, and try to pick up the best bits – every millisecond here is going to make a difference. They are little things, nothing remarkable at the moment ”.
FORMULA WHY: The reasons why urban tracks are the ultimate challenge for F1 drivers
Looking ahead to the all-important qualifying session, Perez said: “I think it’s going to be a real challenge. It’s going to be an interesting session. I think about getting on top of the tires and making sure that we put the tires in the right window at the right time. [will be key].”
Red Bull enters the weekend with a 122-point lead over Aston Martin in the builders classificationwhile Verstappen leads his teammate Pérez by 14 points in the battle of the drivers.