Following the race, Verstappen opened up about the struggles he faced during the race, particularly regarding his Red Bull car’s performance. “We had a fundamental issue with tyre overheating, which completely ruined our pace. McLaren just took off, and there was nothing I could do,” he admitted.
The reigning world champion also acknowledged that Red Bull needs to address this problem quickly if they want to stay competitive against McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes in the title race. “We have a lot of work to do. Right now, McLaren has the edge, but we’re going to push hard to close the gap,” Verstappen stated.
Despite the setback, Verstappen remained positive, emphasizing that securing second place was still a strong result. “It’s 18 points more than I had here last year when I had to retire. So, while it’s not ideal, it’s still a solid start to the season,” he concluded.
