Max Verstappen described his Friday at Silverstone as “quite a bad day“, as Red Bull Racing faced an uphill battle during practice ahead of the British GP. Team-mate Yuki Tsunoda also experienced a challenging return to the car, continuing a tough run of form for the team.
What does the current World Champion say?
Verstappen, currently trailing McLaren’s Oscar Piastri by 61 points in the Drivers’ Championship, could only manage 10th in FP1 and 5th in FP2. He ended both sessions roughly half a second adrift of the leaders.
“For me personally, was quite a bad day,” said Verstappen. “Just no balance in the car. Just very difficult to corner as well. Quite a poor day for us I think in general.”
The reigning World Champion highlighted wind sensitivity as a contributing factor but insisted it was not a valid excuse.
“A lot but that’s of course not an excuse because everyone has to deal with that. It’s not easy but same for everyone.
“Every weekend is a different scenario. The wind around here, it seems our car is quite sensitive to it but in general it’s not been an easy day.”
Pressure continues to build on Red Bull as McLaren look competitive once again, with Lando Norris topping the timesheets in FP2. Verstappen also faced renewed questions over his long-term future with the team, as speculation about a potential 2026 move to Mercedes persists despite recent denials from Team Principal Christian Horner.
Tsunoda needs to “optimise”
Meanwhile, Yuki Tsunoda only participated in FP2 after making way for junior driver Arvid Lindblad in the opening session. The Japanese driver ended the second practice in P15, more than a second off the pace set by Norris and half a second behind his team leader.
“I just had one free practice session so a couple of things I can improve in my driving and set-up,” said Tsunoda. “Just have to optimise it.”
Red Bull will be hoping for a turnaround in performance at the British GP on Saturday, with both qualifying and race-day strategy critical if the team is to close the growing gap to McLaren.
