Max Verstappen: Red Bull to "investigate" set-up changes that cost time in Canada

Red Bull changed the set-up of Max Verstappen’s car from FP1 to FP2 in Canada, which the Dutchman says hit his lap times

Max Verstappen is optimistic about his chances in the Canadian Grand Prix, despite losing pace during the second practice session. The Red Bull driver, who went ninth quickest on Friday afternoon, said he was “quite happy” with his car, but admitted that his team had to “investigate” the drop in performance.

“FP2 was a bit more difficult for other reasons,” he said after the session. “I think we lost something with the car, like balance-wise, that we need to investigate. But overall, I think it was quite a positive day for us.”

Verstappen topped the first practice session in Montreal, setting a fastest lap of 1m13.193s during a session that was plagued with spins and snaps from other drivers. However, while Verstappen's time improved in the second session, it was only quick enough for ninth in the standings.

Despite this, the Dutchman said the team will be “looking okay” for Sunday’s race if they “can get the car back to how it felt in FP1.”

He added: “There's still one more session where people can get it right. For us, we just want to get it in a good window and then we'll see how far we are up there in qualifying.”

Earlier in the weekend, Verstappen admitted he doesn’t think that Red Bull can compete with McLaren around the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, despite standing on the top step of the podium at the past three races in Canada.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images

"It's a bit different this time around," Verstappen said, noting that his podium fight is with Mercedes. "But I think if we can fight for a podium with Ferrari, Mercedes, that already would be a good achievement.”

"[The McLarens] go faster. It's not even in my head. I'm more focusing on the other teams. I know that last year, for example, Mercedes was very strong here. I think if you compare last year to now, maybe they're more competitive as well. So, it will be hard enough to already fight for a podium."

Verstappen may not want to fight too hard, however, as he remains just one penalty point away from a race ban, after picking up three additional points for his contact with George Russell in Barcelona.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner said the team has “enough drivers” to cope with Verstappen’s potential exit for one race weekend.

"First of all, [Max receiving a ban is] a situation that we want to desperately try and avoid,” he said. "And should it come, we've got enough drivers to draw upon from the pool of Red Bull drivers.”