Verstappen laments 'mystery' bad starts off the line
Verstappen laments 'mystery' bad starts off the line
Max Verstappen believes Honda need to find a solution to Red Bull’s “mystery” poor starts off the line at the beginning of races, as they were one of the best teams at Lights Out last year.
The Dutchman was in scintillating form ahead of the summer break, winning in Austria and Germany, but the return to action was a disappointing one at the Belgian Grand Prix as he only lasted one lap before retiring after colliding with Kimi Raikkonen.
Having previously stated that the bad start off the line contributed to his retirement, he now recognises that Honda and Red Bull need to rectify the problem quickly.
“We are struggling this year to keep the wheelspin consistent,” Verstappen told Ziggo Sport.
“It’s even different with every engine, so it’s always a mystery if it will be ok or not. This year it’s gone wrong quite a lot, so we know what we need to work on.”
Red Bull had a tumultuous relationship with their previous engine supplier, Renault, last season, with Verstappen continually praising the improvements since the change to Honda.
However, he says the starts were much better under the French manufacturer’s power units.
My race unfortunately ended in the first corner already. It is what it is. It was a weekend with a lot of mixed feelings. A big thanks for all the fans and the amazing support #OrangeArmy 🦁 #KeepPushing #BelgianGP 🇧🇪 pic.twitter.com/sHk3FFhJWJ
— Max Verstappen (@Max33Verstappen) September 1, 2019
“We were the second-best team on starts last year, and also the year before. So I really don’t think we suddenly don’t know how to do a good start,” he added.
“But what we don’t know now is how the engine will handle our input. We can try out a lot during testing and Honda is currently busy with that.
“They can see the things that need to be improved, but it takes time because it has to do with some characteristics of the engine.”
After failing to secure any points in Belgium, Verstappen lost vital ground in the drivers’ championship to Valtteri Bottas and Lewis Hamilton.
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F1 Standings
Drivers
- Oliver Bearman
- Charles Leclerc
- Carlos Sainz
- Lando Norris
- Oscar Piastri
- Pierre Gasly
- Esteban Ocon
- Sergio Pérez
- Max Verstappen
- Alexander Albon
- Logan Sargeant
- Lewis Hamilton
- George Russell
- Nico Hülkenberg
- Kevin Magnussen
- Fernando Alonso
- Lance Stroll
- Valtteri Bottas
- Zhou Guanyu
- Daniel Ricciardo
- Yuki Tsunoda
Races
- Gulf Air Grand Prix of Bahrain 2024
- Saudi Arabian Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Australia 2024
- MSC Cruises Grand Prix of Japan 2024
- Grand Prix of China 2024
- Miami Grand Prix 2024
- Gran Premio dell'Emilia Romagna 2024
- Grand Prix of Monaco 2024
- Grand Prix du Canada 2024
- Gran Premio de España 2024
- Grand Prix of Austria 2024
- Grand Prix of Great Britain 2024
- Grand Prix of Hungary 2024
- Grand Prix of Belgium 2024
- Heineken Dutch Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Italy 2024
- Grand Prix of Azerbaijan 2024
- Grand Prix of Singapore 2024
- Grand Prix of the United States 2024
- Gran Premio de la Ciudad de Mexico 2024
- Grande Prêmio de São Paulo 2024
- Heineken Silver Las Vegas Grand Prix 2024
- Qatar Grand Prix 2024
- Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi 2024
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