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—P6 and P8 respectively—but still left both cars adrift of the leaders.
Driver Verdict
Speaking afterward, Verstappen offered a blunt assessment.
“We tried a lot of bits,” he said.
“Some worked a bit better than others.
“But overall, yeah, not fast enough at the moment.”
Asked about confidence for Sunday, he replied, “At the moment, not very high.”
Specific Concerns
Verstappen highlighted corner-entry balance and tyre-temperature consistency, noting he had been overtaken by a McLaren during race-run simulations.
Such moments reinforce the narrow Imola layout’s punishing nature for cars lacking rotation.
Team Perspective
Management insists the update is a “step,” not a silver bullet, and points to additional parts scheduled for Barcelona.
Data engineers will fine-tune ride-height and diff settings overnight, searching for a tenth that could transform qualifying fortunes.
Championship Stakes
Verstappen trails Piastri by 32 points in the standings, and Red Bull sits third in the constructors’ table behind Mercedes.
Another subdued race could intensify pressure ahead of the Monaco street race next week.
The post Max Verstappen delivers damning verdict on Red Bull appeared first on Formula1News.co.uk .
Related News
Top Headlines
-
![]()
F2: Beganovic beats red flag to claim first pole position at ImolaFormula1.com
20:25
16-05-2025
Dino Beganovic earned his maiden pole position in Formula 2 during Qualifying at Imola, setting a 1m 27.418s to take top spot for Hitech TGR.
-
![]()
F3: Camara makes it three poles in a row in dramatic Imola QualifyingFormula1.com
20:45
16-05-2025
Rafael Camara continued his phenomenal start to the 2025 Formula 3 season, achieving a third consecutive pole position of the year in a dramatic...
-
![]()
PRACTICE DEBRIEF: Are McLaren the team to beat again at Imola – or can a rival cause an upset?Formula1.com
20:50
16-05-2025
McLaren set an ominous pace at a sun-soaked Imola on Friday, as home favourites Ferrari were blighted with brake issues that stunted their...
-
![]()
F1 EXPLAINS: What happens inside an F1 garage during a race - with HaasFormula1.com
20:25
16-05-2025
What happens in a Formula 1 team's garage during a race? In a world-first episode, recorded inside the Haas garage during the Miami Grand Prix,...
-
![]()
Exploring the ways Technology has Impacted Formula 1F1-fansite.com
07:40
17-05-2025
Formula 1 has been wowing fans for 75 years. With the first race taking place at Silverstone in the UK back in 1950, the pursuit has remained...
-
![]()
HIGHLIGHTS: Watch the action from FP2 at Imola as Piastri sets the pace, Ferrari struggle and Hadjar spins offFormula1.com
19:40
16-05-2025
McLaren were the pace-setters as the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix weekend got under way on Friday, with Oscar Piastri leading team mate Lando Norris...
Old Top Headlines
-
![]()
Bengals Shuffle Joe Burrow Media Schedule Amid Trey Hendrickson Contract UproarFormula1news.co.uk
21:25
14-05-2025
The Cincinnati Bengals upended a quiet May afternoon on Monday, May 12, by postponing Joe Burrow’s scheduled Tuesday press conference until May...
-
![]()
Max Verstappen used fake name to shatter Nurburgring lap record in FerrariCrash.net
17:50
15-05-2025
Max Verstappen confirms he smashed the Nurburgring lap record in a Ferrari GT3 car - using a fake name.
-
![]()
FIA revises driver swearing penaltiesAutosport.com
16:50
14-05-2025
The FIA has revised the penalties in Appendix B of its International Sporting Code, thus reducing the potential fines for drivers caught swearing,...
-
![]()
Autosport 75: How Verstappen scored his first F1 winAutosport.com
18:25
14-05-2025
The longer this goes on, the more Max Verstappen looks set to become a phenomenon in Formula 1. If he continues to progress at this rate, he may...
-
![]()
McLaren Have One Hand On the Constructors’ Championship Following Miami Grand Prix WinF1-fansite.com
21:55
14-05-2025
May 14 - The race for the 2025 Constructors’ championship seems like a formality at this point following Oscar Piastri’s Miami Grand Prix win...
-
![]()
Franco Colapinto speaks out ahead of Alpine debut in ImolaFormula1news.co.uk
00:25
15-05-2025
Franco Colapinto will line up for Alpine at this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, ending five months without competitive racing. The...