Max Verstappen concedes Zandvoort track layout doesn't suit Red Bull as McLarens dominate

Max Verstappen has conceded that the F1 Dutch GP is going to be a struggle as Zandvoort just doesn't suit Red Bull. The race is the first one since the summer break, and the Dutch driver has an impressive record around the track.

Since the return to the calendar in 2021, the Dutch driver has won the race three times and finished 2nd in the fourth one. This time around, however, the hopes are not that high.

One of the reasons behind it is the fact that Red Bull's strengths are more on the medium- to high-speed sections, while the track has long medium-speed sections where McLaren tends to hold the advantage.

This was reflected on the timesheets as well, as Max Verstappen was nowhere close to the lap times that Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri were able to put together.

Talking to the media, including Motorsport, at the end of the day, the Dutch driver revealed that the position of the car was more or less expected. He said,

“I mean, nothing special really. Still struggling with the same things. Again, we tried a lot of things with the car, but it just doesn’t really seem to change anything in terms of the underlying problems.

He added,

So, yeah, we’ll look overnight if we can find a bit more, but I’m not going to expect a massive turnaround. I think it’s just tricky. Plus, the layout of the track also probably doesn’t suit our problems that we have with the car.”

Max Verstappen pinpoints where Red Bull is losing out

There is rain expected to be a bit of a disruptor on Saturday and mix things up. Unfortunately, what we've seen this season is that McLaren tends to get even stronger in the rain, and hence that might not help the home favorite.

Max Verstappen, on the other hand, was questioned about where he felt the Red Bull was losing time, to which he pointed primarily to the second sector that had long corners. He said,

“I mean, nothing special really. Still struggling with the same things. Again, we tried a lot of things with the car, but it just doesn’t really seem to change anything in terms of the underlying problems."

Rain can often be a great equalizer in the sport, and Max Verstappen, who has had a brilliant record at Zandvoort, would be hoping to put together a better run on Saturday and drag something special from the car.