Fast qualifying lap, weak long runs
Max Verstappen was fastest during the short runs in FP2. His time was faster than Charles Leclerc's. That gives hope for qualifying. But the long runs went badly.
On the soft tyre, Verstappen did one good lap. After that, he had little grip. Especially with full tanks, lap times were far below expectations. He spoke of a big problem for the race.
What Verstappen said exactly
He felt no obvious balancing error. The car seemed fine tuned for one fast lap. On sustained runs, the tyres got too hot. As a result, grip disappeared. Verstappen stated briefly: on those runs, they were almost nowhere.
Team works on tyre temperature
The team thinks it is mainly about tyre temperature. The challenge is to find the right combination of core and surface temperatures. This is needed to achieve one fast lap without overheating the tyres in the race.
The technical staff said the focus tonight is on high fuel runs. They are not satisfied with degradation and tyre thermal control. They are trying to improve that situation before the race.
Piastri not too dissatisfied
Oscar Piastri finished 12th with a messy low fuel run. He found his lap on soft tyres average. He tried different things and now wants more consistent performance more than anything else.
Piastri is still at the top of the championship. Verstappen is back in the title race after his win in the US, but is 40 points behind. So every lap lost could weigh heavily.
Key points
- Red Bull has strong short-lap times, especially with Max.
- Long-race space is problematic due to lack of grip and overheated tyres.
- The team focuses on controlling core and surface temperatures of tyres.
- Piastri had a messy session, but remains optimistic and wants more consistency.
Red Bull must find overnight adjustments before the race. Without improvement, winning on Sunday is difficult, even if qualifying speed looks promising.
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