Verstappen braced for “difficult” Canadian GP weekend

Max Verstappen feels the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix could prove to be “a bit more difficult” for Red Bull, and expects Formula 1 rivals Ferrari to bounce back.

The Dutchman currently occupies fourth place in the 2019 constructors’ championship after a strong start to the campaign, in which he has taken two podium finishes and not finished below fourth during the opening six races. Verstappen was set for a second-place finish in Monaco until a time penalty dropped him to fourth at the chequered flag.

Despite being encouraged by Red Bull and new engine supplier Honda’s gains so far this year, he believes Ferrari’s straight-line speed advantage will serve the Italian team well as it looks to turn around a disappointing start to the season in Montreal.

“I expect Ferrari to be more competitive in Canada, so for us it may be a bit more difficult, but as always we will try and maximise the result,” Verstappen said.

“The track is actually pretty challenging even though it looks like there are quite a lot of straights. The chicanes and how you ride the kerbs is important as it can compromise you a lot if you make a mistake.

“It’s all connected, left to right or right to left, if you make a mistake on one of them, then your whole sequence is destroyed. It’s a fun track, at least you can overtake if needed and I always enjoy going there.”

Teammate Pierre Gasly, who failed to finish inside the top 10 in his first outing at Canada last year with Toro Rosso, added: “It’s a track that’s usually good for the team.

“Max finished third there last year and Daniel got his first win with the team in Montreal so it’s always been pretty successful for Red Bull.

“I think you always relate a track with your previous performance there and I was P11 in 2018 so it was ok but this year I will be aiming for much better.”