Saturday proved to be a productive day for Oracle Red Bull Racing, with the team looking to claim another victory in the sixteenth round of the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Reigning world champion, Max Verstappen qualified in second position at the Italian Grand Prix, but a five-place grid drop will see him start seventh. Meanwhile, his teammate Sergio Pérez, who qualified fourth will start thirteenth after he took engine penalties.
Verstappen is looking to win his fifth race in a row but it could be more of a challenge starting further back, with the likes of Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris ahead of him.
“I think qualifying went well. The Ferraris have looked strong all weekend, so we knew it would be close today. We set up the car for the race, opting for a little bit more downforce; over one qualifying lap it wasn’t the best, but I think tomorrow it will be strong. Regardless, we were still quite close so that’s a positive.
“It will be an interesting battle tomorrow; I’ll try and stay out of trouble and just make my way forward. We won’t be taking any crazy risks though, I know that we don’t need to win every race from now until the end of the season but if I clear all the cars in front of me, then I will of course go for the win.”
Sergio Pérez: “We need to maximise for tomorrow and focus”
Team-mate Pérez, has reiterated the need to maximise the car’s potential ahead of the race, and claims that they need to be focused to gain positions on a circuit that is known to be difficult to pass on. The Mexican driver sits third in the Drivers’ standings and will be hoping to not only secure that place but help the team secure even more points in the Constructors’ standings.
Despite a difficult session for Pérez, after qualifying fourth but starting thirteenth, he will be hoping that the Red Bull’s pace will be able to help him get up the grid during the race.
“It is still a good result today and we can fight for it tomorrow. With the race pace we have, we can close up the gap, so I am looking forward to it. It wasn’t a great lap for me, but it didn’t feel bad either, now we need to maximise for tomorrow and focus. We knew the Ferraris were going to be very fast around here so their result wasn’t much of a surprise. I think in the race they will also be strong.
“We are lacking a bit of pace at the moment so there are a few things to review from today before the race – we have to make the most of what I have. The DRS straights can be very painful around here, you can sit for a couple of laps and that can impact your race a lot.
“It will be difficult to pass, you must have a good strategy and use your pace properly, that will be very important to progress.”
