Max Verstappen has not been dominating the Formula One circuit this year. There is a clear threat to his dominance, as he has already lost 3 races in 9 rounds and the Spanish Grand Prix is his next challenge. Last year, in 22 rounds, Verstappen lost only 3 races and he’s already lost that many races this year. So who is the biggest threat to him in the Spanish GP?
McLaren is quicker than ever and Ferrari has already won two races this season. Lando Norris will start from the pole at the Spanish GP, but Verstappen will be beside him in the front row. Although this leaves room for the defending champion to take the lead, we must consider that he needed a tow to get close to Norris’ qualifying time.
With the MCL38 seeming quicker than the RB20, will Max Verstappen be able to shake his challenger off?
Red Bull is under pressure heading to the Spanish GP
Talking to Sky Sports after the Barcelona qualifiers, Red Bull director Helmut Marko spoke about the mindset of the team heading into the Spanish Grand Prix. “After the third free practice, we weren’t sure if we would be able to start on the front row,” Marko said.
Marko also spoke about where Verstappen made mistakes that put him behind the McLaren driver on the grid. “In the end, we lost time in turn four compared to Lando. In sectors 1 and 3, we were faster, so in general, we went in the right direction,” the 81-year-old added.
Revealing what made the difference, Marko explained, “It’s absurd what you can do with the tire pressure. It’s tested with technical things like the simulator, and it makes the difference in the end.”
By tweaking the tire pressure, Red Bull achieved better results in the qualifiers. The car lacked pace during the practice sessions and Red Bull figured out the issue. However, Verstappen has a difficult race ahead of him as McLaren and Ferrari will be posing a challenge to his championship title.
While Helmut Marko explained the technical difficulties the Red Bull team faced while helping Verstappen achieve his pace, the 3x world champion had something more to add.
What did Max Verstappen say about the Barcelona qualifiers?
McLaren has been quick since the upgrades and the results are visible. The team has caught up heavily on points, while Red Bull is in an unfavorable position, as Sergio Perez will start the race from P8, and Max Verstappen might be their only shot at the podium. However, the podium is not enough for Verstappen. He is worried about the upcoming race.
Verstappen knows who his biggest challenges are. “It is not that I am suddenly worried now. McLaren has been very strong the last few weeks. I have been hammering on all the time that we have to come up with more performance. Everyone knows that too,” the defending champion was quoted as saying by the Telegraph.
It’s not that Red Bull is not upgrading their car, but the results pale compared to McLaren’s recent kit. Lando Norris has been touted as a potential world champion and if he keeps up his pace, he might take the title away from Verstappen.
Verstappen might be worried about losing dominance, but this makes the season extremely interesting. That being said, who do you think will win the Spanish Grand Prix? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
