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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nDriver Verdict<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Speaking afterward, Verstappen offered a blunt assessment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe tried a lot of bits,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSome worked a bit better than others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut overall, yeah, not fast enough at the moment.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Asked about confidence for Sunday, he replied, \u201cAt the moment, not very high.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Specific Concerns<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Verstappen highlighted corner-entry balance and tyre-temperature consistency, noting he had been overtaken by a McLaren during race-run simulations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such moments reinforce the narrow Imola layout\u2019s punishing nature for cars lacking rotation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Team Perspective<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Management insists the update is a \u201cstep,\u201d not a silver bullet, and points to additional parts scheduled for Barcelona.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Data engineers will fine-tune ride-height and diff settings overnight, searching for a tenth that could transform qualifying fortunes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Championship Stakes<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Verstappen trails Piastri by 32 points in the standings, and Red Bull sits third in the constructors\u2019 table behind Mercedes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Another subdued race could intensify pressure ahead of the Monaco street race next week.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Red Bull arrived at Imola with a re-profiled floor, revised side-pod undercuts, a tweaked beam wing, and rear-ramp refinements on the RB21. Engineers hoped the suite would trim the deficit to McLaren and reclaim top-speed supremacy. Track Reality Free Practice 1 ended with Verstappen seventh and team-mate Yuki Tsunoda sixteenth. FP2 produced incremental gains\u2014P6 and P8 respectively\u2014but still left both cars adrift of the leaders. Driver Verdict Speaking afterward, Verstappen offered a blunt assessment. \u201cWe tried a lot of bits,\u201d he said. \u201cSome worked a bit better than others. \u201cBut overall, yeah, not fast enough at the moment.\u201d Asked about<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":32208,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,26,24],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35033","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-latest-news","category-regulations"],"yoast_head":"\n