Verstappen finds hope, while Tsunoda struggles with pace puzzle

Max Verstappen was cautiously optimistic after Friday’s practice at the Spanish Grand Prix, saying he felt “a bit happier” with Red Bull’s form as the team seeks to bounce back from a difficult Monaco weekend.

While the Dutchman saw signs of improvement, Yuki Tsunoda was left searching for answers after a perplexing performance left him significantly behind his teammate.

In the opening practice session, Verstappen set the second-fastest time, trailing McLaren’s Lando Norris by three-and-a-half tenths. In FP2, he slipped to third, behind McLaren’s Oscar Piastri and Mercedes’ George Russell.

Despite the drop, Verstappen remained encouraged, noting that the RB21’s performance was a step up compared to Monaco.

His focus, however, remains on recapturing the optimal balance he enjoyed at Imola, where Red Bull’s setup allowed him to dominate.

Progress, But Still Searching for Balance

Verstappen entered the weekend hopeful that the more conventional layout of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya would allow Red Bull to put itself back in the mix to challenge McLaren.

“It’s always nice to be here; the track is always very enjoyable to drive,” he told Sky Sports F1.

“It’s quite hot out there as well, especially for the tyres, but I think it was an okay Friday, I mean, we’ve had worse Fridays.

“But yeah, I felt a bit happier with the car.”

Despite the improvement, Verstappen acknowledged that there’s still work to do to match the high standards Red Bull set earlier in the season.

“We’re still not, I think, where we want to be, but it was definitely a bit more positive,” he continued. “I mean, of course, every track is a bit different – but the feeling, I still want a better feeling from the car.

“But I’ve also had Fridays where we were completely out of it. So, yeah, it’s a bit more, I would say, in the middle.”

Tsunoda: ‘No idea why I’m so slow’

For Tsunoda, Friday’s practice was more confusing than encouraging. The Japanese driver was ninth in FP1 but fell to 13th in FP2, ending the day 0.613s slower than Verstappen.

“Yeah, I mean, tricky to be honest, in terms of first day [in Spain] compared to other Grand Prix [Monaco],” Tsunoda said, reflecting on his Friday performance. “It felt pretty smooth, myself, I think I made progress, from FP1 [to] FP2.

“To be honest, I just don’t have any idea why I am slow.

“Today’s lap was pretty good as well, considering [its] FP2, obviously, it’s not like fully, fully 100%, but it’s not the gap that I expected, at least.

“It’s hard to even tell what kind of exact limitation I have. In terms of balance, it’s okay; I’ll have to see what we can improve, but currently, we’re struggling.”

Tsunoda was visibly frustrated, admitting that while he felt he’d done a good job behind the wheel, the data didn’t match his expectations.

“Yeah, hopefully, we can find something, otherwise, it’s really tough, honestly,” he said. “It’s not like I had a massive mistake and I’m behind compared to competitors quite a lot.

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“If I had a mistake with that result, I’m happy, actually, but it’s not like that. Probably, it will be a longer night than usual, but obviously, there’s a curfew and everything.

“I’ll try my best to find a solution, but currently, it’s all very clear.”

As the weekend progresses, both drivers will look to build on Friday’s running – Verstappen to close the gap to the front-runners, and Tsunoda to uncover the elusive key to unlocking his car’s potential.

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