Verappen before racing lock: pressure in front of Canada-GP in Montreal!

Verappen before racing lock: pressure in front of Canada-GP in Montreal!

Montreal, Kanada - Max Verstappen is under enormous pressure at the Grand Prix of Canada and risks a racing lock if he should capture another penalty point. After a ruthless maneuver in Barcelona against George Russell, in which he received a ten-second penalty and fell back to tenth place, his penalty account increased to eleven. At twelve points, Verstappen would have to watch at the Austria GP in Spielberg, which Red Bull Motor Sports Advisor Helmut Marko assesses as a "catastrophe". However, Verstappen has a strong record in Canada, where he hopes for his fourth victory in a row.

The incident in Barcelona was bitter for Verstappen, which is prepared this weekend due to the current weather forecast on both rain on Friday and dry weather on Sunday. "The race in Barcelona was disappointing," says the Dutch combative and strives for a significantly better performance in Montreal.

competition and performance

In the current competitive landscape, McLaren has the fastest car in dry conditions and is in the performance in front of Red Bull Racing, which is currently lagging behind three to four tenths of a second. Ferrari and Mercedes also move in similar performance areas. Oscar Piatri leads the World Cup ranking, whereby he has ten points ahead of his teammate Lando Norris. Verstappen, on the other hand, lack 49 points for Piatri.

The Situation in Barcelona was important for many drivers. Piatri was able to win the Spain GP, ​​while Lando Norris took second place and Charles Leclerc completed the podium in third place. Verstappen, when the goals made a possible win, saw himself confronted with his punishment, which made him fall behind behind Nico Hülkenberg, who secured fifth place. Names like Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso and George Russell also occurred in the race, with Russell Verstappen criticized for his driving behavior, which further fueled the tensions between the two drivers.

future challenges

For Red Bull, the focus is not only on the immediate performance. The team does not plan big updates on the RB21 for the upcoming races, but focuses on smaller adjustments and the long-term 2026 project. In view of the upcoming race editions, you have to make sure that Verstappen is driving without further punishments.

With the next Grand Prix only one day away, attention is focused on what is happening in Canada, where the pressure on Verstappen is as great as the competition is on the track. With regard to the statistics and records, Verstappen is already a key figure in World Cup history, but the management of his driving behavior will be crucial for his ambitions this season.