F1 News: Red Bull summon Verstappen to HQ ahead of crucial Imola weekend

Max Verstappen in Miami — Photo: © IMAGO

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Red Bull summon Verstappen to HQ ahead of crucial Imola weekend

The Dutchman has had to return to Red Bull's major base

By Dan Ripley.

Thursday 16 May 2024 22:00

Max Verstappen has reported back to Red Bull's base in Milton Keynes as the team aim to regroup ahead of the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix.

Verstappen was left stunned at the last Formula 1 race in Miami after throwing away race victory despite having qualified on pole position.

The triple world champion's rare error that saw him collide with a bollard triggered a chain of events resulting in a safety car, which eventually led to him losing out to McLaren star Lando Norris.

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The British star not only took full advantage by taking the lead of the race, but he would go on comfortably to win at the Hard Rock Stadium to take his maiden grand prix victory.

Verstappen and Red Bull were left to lick their wounds after being beaten on clear pace, and it marks their second race loss of 2024 having also failed to win in Australia.

Ahead of the F1 season returning to Europe for the first time this year, Verstappen has now reported back to the Red Bull factory, where he has revealed he has been working on a simulator to try and help the team reassert their domination at the top again.

Max Verstappen leads the F1 championship ahead of Sergio Perez

Max Verstappen and Red Bull lost out in Miami

Max Verstappen relishes old school Formula 1

"Imola is always an iconic track to race at and we are excited to be back again after it was cancelled last year.

"We have had some great team results here and it is always interesting to race at a really old school track like this, as it is very technical, with some complex combinations of corners and braking zones.

"The Team in Milton Keynes and trackside have all been working really hard and I have been back at the factory this week working on the sim.

"It’s nice to be back racing in Europe again too, so we are looking forward to seeing what the weekend brings."

Despite the Miami slip up, Verstappen leads the F1 title race by 33 points ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez, with Ferrari's Charles Leclerc a further five points behind in third.