Verstappen urges Red Bull to "understand more on the deployment side" after Montreal qualifying
Red Bull’s Canadian Grand Prix weekend continued to expose the structural weaknesses of the RB22, with both Max Verstappen and Isack Hadjar acknowledging the team’s limitations in the Sprint and in Qualifying.
While the car showed flashes of competitiveness—particularly in Hadjar’s impressive Q2 performance—the overall picture remained one of inconsistency, compromised deployment, and a package that still lacks the grip and predictability needed to challenge the front‑running teams.
Verstappen and Hadjar held their positions off the line in the Sprint, but neither had the pace to stay with the Ferraris and McLarens ahead. Verstappen quickly found himself in a no‑man’s‑land race, unable to attack and unthreatened from behind, while Hadjar’s afternoon unravelled with power‑unit issues that forced the team to retire the car—only to send him back out later for diagnostic laps.
Verstappen summarised the Sprint with characteristic bluntness: “It was a bit of a lonely Sprint race for me. We knew that, with the setup we had, we were going to be limited in getting close to the cars ahead.”
Hadjar’s race was even more frustrating, but he praised the team’s recovery work: “The guys did a very good job to turn the car around from what was a frustrating Sprint race. To go from nowhere in the Sprint to P1 in Q2 is brilliant.”
Qualifying brought a more competitive showing from both drivers, but also exposed the RB22’s persistent weaknesses. Verstappen, who has been patient throughout the weekend, finally let his frustrations show over team radio as he struggled to find grip and consistency.
He explained the situation in detail: “For Qualifying, we made some changes, but unfortunately I was still struggling. We improved in some areas, the ride was better, but not so much in others.
"We need to understand more on the deployment side, as it makes it tricky to build references, especially into the braking zones, so there are a few things to analyse overnight.”
Despite the issues, he still managed to edge Hadjar for P6.
Hadjar, meanwhile, delivered one of the standout performances of the session by topping Q2. But when it mattered most, he overreached: “I had a very good start to qualifying, felt very comfortable in the car, and made a big step forward in terms of pace.
"When it mattered I couldn’t put the lap together and was overdriving the car, so I am very frustrated with myself. It is definitely positive to have made these steps, but I should have been fighting for a podium.”
Team Principal Laurent Mekies offered a measured assessment of the day, acknowledging both the progress and the persistent variability in performance-
“Qualifying did not go particularly smoothly for us. We were very competitive in some parts of the session, but then we struggled a bit in others. We have seen this throughout the weekend and we do not believe it is down to one single factor.”
He emphasised that the team is learning rapidly: “However, we have learned a lot and this will allow us to continue our progression. Then if you look at the overall result, we are three tenths off pole and it’s fair to say it’s probably an accurate reflection of where we are right now, and we know how much work we still have in front of us to close the gap further.”
With rain expected on Sunday, Mekies anticipates a volatile race: “Rain is forecast for tomorrow and I think we can expect a chaotic race, considering that we have not yet run these cars in the wet. It could be a steep learning curve for everyone and extremely tricky for the 22 drivers out there, but also very entertaining for the fans.”
