Red Bull admit disappointment with Canada GP results
Red Bull F1 were left disappointed with 5th and 8th place results for their 2 drivers in the Canadian Grand Prix.
In a race largely dominated by the furore following a controversial penalty for former Red Bull driver Sebastian Vettel, Max Verstappen could only manage 5th for the Milton Keynes-based team after beginning 9th, and enduring an exit in the second part of qualifying.
Pierre Gasly also had a difficult day, with the French driver coming 9th despite outqualifying Verstappen for the first time this season. Gasly lost time behind Lance Stroll while trying an undercut on Daniel Ricciardo.
Speaking after the race, Verstappen said he had a little fun overtaking but accepted it was just not the team’s weekend.
He said, “It was a controlled drive today. We stayed out of trouble at the beginning of the race and there was not much more I could do in the closing stages. I did a very long first stint which worked quite well to clear the traffic and once we pitted I quickly cleared the Renault’s. From there I pulled away and was able to focus on my own race but we were not quick enough to catch the leaders.
“It was at least fun doing a bit of overtaking and we scored good points again but I think realistically fifth was where we expected to finish. It was not our weekend and I would of course like more but we have to work hard now to try and close the gap at the next race.”
There was similar disappointment for Gasly, who felt the car was stronger then it finished, having qualified in 5th on Saturday, and he admitted he needed to work hard ahead of the French Grand Prix in 2 weeks.
He said, “It was a pretty difficult day but the car actually felt quite good so it is disappointing to finish where we did. We expected to be stronger than this. We struggled with traffic and had to save the brakes, which compromised us a bit, and I of course wanted to finish better than this.
“We need to analyse everything and see what we can improve but I also need to work hard before the next race. I hope we can find more pace and come back stronger for my home race.”
As for the Red Bull junior team, a late move on McLaren’s Carlos Sainz saw Dany Kvyat collect points with a 10th place finish, while Alex Albon was one of two cars to retire, with his race severely affected after he damaged his front wing on the opening lap.