Verstappen admits Mercedes team is stronger this weekend
May 1 - Mercedes has come out of the blocks at Portimao with a slightly "stronger" car, Max Verstappen has admitted.
"We still have to improve a bit to go for pole," the Red Bull driver, who is a single point behind Mercedes' Lewis Hamilton after the first two races, told Ziggo Sport.
"The Mercedes generally looks a bit easier to drive and Lewis did not have a top lap. Neither did we, but we still have some work to do.
"It's a bit like last year, when Mercedes was also stronger," Verstappen added. "This circuit will not suit us very well. Our car may be a bit more sensitive."
Verstappen admits he does not enjoy driving his Red Bull on the now notoriously slippery Portimao circuit.
"When a track is like this, it is difficult to get more than this out of it," he said. "You're dealing with tyre temperature all the time - how they're reacting.
"And the tyres are reacting very differently from the first two races of the year. It's not normal," said Verstappen.
"It is a very beautiful track, very cool to drive, it's just a shame that we have such little grip. It's not very natural. It's not how it should be.
"We just have to get through this weekend and then we can go back to a normal circuit," he added.
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Yeah, VER, it's a shame to have various track configurations, pavement quality, weather conditions. etc.. Wait, that's what makes racing interesting.
I guess mastering all these tricky tracks and conditions, all year round are part of what makes a driver win championships, especially when you are up against a master racer like LH that seems to thrive in all the different tracks and conditions. Max cannot afford not to perform in tracks and conditions that he does not like and I am glad that he did perform well at Portimao. This is what will keep the title fight alive - the ability to perform even when conditions are sub-par and not to one's liking
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