Max Verstappen has revealed that Red Bull are trying to resolve multiple issues with their car. The Dutch champions are optimistic about the upgrades they have brought to the Imola GP weekend and feel they will be able to resolve most of their car's teething issues.
While Red Bull’s porpoising issues haven’t been imminent, they have suffered from reliability issues in two out of three races so far.
Verstappen feels their preseason tests did not show any reliability issues. However, he believes the team will be able to resolve most of their problems soon.
Speaking in the drivers’ press conference ahead of the Imola GP, the Dutchman said:
“I mean, it's been different issues. So, we have been solving them but, of course, time will tell if it’s working or not. I mean, it's difficult to say at the moment, but I know that the team always does their very best in solving all the issues."
"They are a bit unexpected, because testing actually was very smooth for us before we started the first race of the season. So yeah, well, we'll find out this weekend.”
A major problem with the Red Bull car was that it was severely overweight, causing several balance issues and making driveabiltiy harder.
Team advisor Helmut Marko confirmed that the car would lose some weight by the Imola race weekend, as it was 10kgs heavier than the Ferrari.
The team has brought in new front-wing calipers to improve the cooling and reduce the weight deficit of the car, but there are no significant upgrades.
Max Verstappen believes upgrading the car in Imola depends on risk levels
With Imola weather comprising of a mix of cold, wet and damp conditions, any significant upgrade can be a tricky affair.
Max Verstappen feels that confidence over the package and risk levels determines if a team is ready to risk a major upgrade in the tricky weather conditions of Imola.
When asked if it was tricky to bring upgrades to Imola, citing the weather conditions, the Red Bull champion replied:
“It depends on how big your upgrade is. If you are confident in your package, or what you see in the wind tunnel, for example. It all depends also a bit how much risk you want to take. I guess that’s different for every team.”
Red Bull seemed to have the pace in the qualifying session, where Max Verstappen claimed pole. However, with only FP1 available for data in a condensed sprint weekend, it is too early to determine what their race pace will be on Sunday.