Max Verstappen secured another podium at the Italian Grand Prix, finishing third behind Andrea Kimi Antonelli and George Russell. But behind the smiles on the rostrum, the four-time world champion harbored concerns. Over an untelevised team radio message, Verstappen was candid about Red Bull's persistent weaknesses at a high-speed circuit like Monza.
After the race, Max Verstappen received praise from team principal Laurent Mekies, who described his performance as a big step forward. However, Verstappen did not entirely agree. In a conversation with race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase and Mekies, he pointed out the same issue that had haunted him all weekend.
“Yeah, it’s a very nice podium. Again, you can see clearly our weaknesses here. Just sitting back on the straights and the ride, as we know,” Verstappen said, as reported by Motorsport Week.
The issue related to the rear axle of the RB22, which lacked compliance over bumps and kerbs at low speed. Verstappen also lamented the deficit in energy deployment compared to Mercedes-powered cars, making it difficult to defend even on fresher tires.
“On the bumps, the kerbs, in the low-speed especially, it’s still like the rear axle is just not very compliant. That’s clearly not ideal and it’s costing performance. We also can’t keep up with the deployment of the Mercedes-powered cars, and that is very tough on a track like Monza. With overtake mode it looked promising, but as soon as I got in the lead, it was very hard to defend,” Verstappen explained in the post-race press conference.
Despite the challenges, Verstappen acknowledged that finishing on the podium after a difficult weekend at Zandvoort was a positive outcome. He noted a significant turnaround, though there is still much work to be done for the team to compete consistently at the front.
This result further solidifies Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship, but the competition is expected to intensify. Red Bull now faces the task of addressing weaknesses that are exposed at specific circuits, particularly those demanding high aerodynamic efficiency.
Baca Juga
Max Verstappen mengkritik kelemahan Red Bull di Monza meski finis podium. Masalah poros belakang dan deployment tenaga jadi sorotan utama.
Fernando Alonso menilai Monza tak layak disebut Temple of Speed setelah kecepatan puncak mobil F1 turun drastis di GP Italia 2026. Simak analisis lengkapnya.
Juan Pablo Montoya menilai Mercedes seharusnya melakukan double-stack pit stop untuk George Russell saat VSC di GP Italia, yang bisa mengubah hasil balapan.
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