Victory is out of the question for Max Verstappen

This is an unusual position for him. Max Verstappen hasn’t had such a poor qualifying session since the 2023 Miami Grand Prix. The Dutchman will start from seventh place this afternoon in Monza. Despite being competitive with the best in Q1 and Q2, the Red Bull driver lost everything in Q3.

He drove much slower than his best lap in Q2. So how to explain such a difference? In Q2, the triple world champion was equipped with worn soft tires, while for the last run, the tires were new. This created an imbalance on the Red Bull that he did not like at all.

A lot of understeer

During his first attempt, he lost grip in the Parabolica. The second was also very poor. To the point that he is relegated to half a second behind Lewis Hamilton, one place ahead of him. A huge gap on this circuit.

« For some reason in Q3, I had a lot of understeer on both sets of tires and it’s something I don’t understand at the moment. It was simply not drivable anymore. I couldn’t attack any corner, it’s something very strange. I mean four tenths slower than in Q2, that’s not normal. The balance difference I had in Q3 was very strange. I’ve never experienced something like this before », announces Max Verstappen.

This is one of the flaws of the single-seater that the team has been trying to fix for several races now. Sergio Perez already mentioned it at the beginning of the weekend during the press conference.

A too difficult comeback?

The Dutchman is a specialist in fantastic comebacks. Several times, he has managed to return to the top positions even though he started from very far back on the grid. At Monza, overtaking is not the most difficult thing. So seeing the Red Bull driver fight for a podium could be feasible. In any case, the person himself doesn’t believe it for a second.

« We have been too slow all weekend,” he says. « Long runs may seem good on paper, but it’s not what I personally felt. The problem is that when you don’t have a balanced car, in the race, it’s also very difficult for the tires. »

If Max Verstappen did indeed struggle to climb up the hierarchy, Lando Norris could benefit from the situation. The Briton will start from pole position. Even though he is not a specialist in starts, the pace of the McLaren is superior to all the other cars on the grid. The most recent Grand Prix winner could therefore close the gap a little more between him and his rival in the championship.