Max Verstappen has called on Red Bull to understand how to improve the balance and grip of the RB22 at Zandvoort, after a tricky start to his final home race weekend.
The Dutchman, who recently signed a contract extension with Red Bull until the end of 2030, qualified seventh for the sprint at the Dutch Grand Prix. He ended the sole free practice session in P11 before making some progress later in the day.
Despite the difficulties, Verstappen was quick to highlight that he outpaced Lewis Hamilton's Ferrari during sprint qualifying. However, he admitted there is still work to do to close the gap to the front-runners.
"I guess we outqualified one car, but it was just a bit tricky to find the grip, the balance," Verstappen said. "It was already a step forward from FP1, but of course still lacking a little bit to be a little bit further up the road. But it's something that we need to understand now: what we can do with the balance for tomorrow to find a bit more grip, really."
When reminded that Red Bull has often transformed its fortunes overnight after a difficult Friday, Verstappen pointed out that it has been more sporadic this season. "It's hit and miss, but let's see what we can find," he added.
The 71-time grand prix winner could not yet identify how the team might achieve the improvements he wants before main qualifying. "I cannot tell you right now," he concluded.
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