Montreal track “definitely not suiting our package for now” – Verstappen

Max Verstappen said the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve does not suit his usually dominant Red Bull car after he and his team mate finished the first day of practice for the Canadian Grand Prix outside the top five.

Verstappen finished four tenths of a second behind pace-setter Lewis Hamilton. The reigning champion said Red Bull struggled with the circuit’s bumps, a feature both Mercedes drivers also commented on.

“I think we didn’t have a good day,” said Verstappen. “We still have a bit of work to do, the car’s not fantastic at the moment.

“We know our limitations with the car, and probably on the track like it is now with the bumps and kerbs it’s definitely not suiting our package for now. But we’ll try to find a few improvements.”

Although Verstappen acknowledged all teams had to contend with the disrupted FP1, Perez believes it affected Red Bull especially when rain then fell at the end of second practice. However he remains confident the team, which has won all seven races in 2023, have good foundations to work from when they adjust the car before final practice and qualifying.

“It was a shame that we ended up losing FP1, I think we really needed it,” said Perez. “And then FP2, towards the end conditions got a bit worse so it was a shame as well in that regard.

“But I think we’ve got a good base, and we just have to make sure that we play a bit with the car. It was all in a bit of a hurry so I think there’s plenty for us to understand tonight.”

Perez admitted Red Bull’s nearest rivals are “looking good”, but with rain expected for qualifying Verstappen expects a potential mix-up in the final grid.

“Probably tomorrow it’s going to be very wet,” Verstappen said. “So that normally always brings a few surprises in qualifying and then we’ll see what the weather will do on Sunday.”

But Perez is hoping for a dry running after the downpour which hit the track at the end of second practice: “This level of rain, it gets really dark and visibility really poor. So I think these conditions become undriveable very quickly. If the rain comes, hopefully it’s not as much.”

Advert | Become a RaceFans supporter and go ad-free

2023 Canadian Grand Prix

• Norris ‘even more’ sure Canada penalty was wrong after review request fails
• McLaren seeking more than just downforce gains from major upgrade
• Winning more races won’t necessarily lead to F1 seat – Palou
• Red Bull’s testing restriction will “massively affect” 2024 car development
• Schumacher’s set-up input gives Mercedes a “super advantage” – Wolff