‘I hope it will be a bit more similar to Imola’ – Verstappen hopeful he can bounce back from Monaco disappointment in Spain

Max Verstappen hopes the Spanish Grand Prix “will be a bit more similar to Imola” – a race where he secured a dominant victory – after a challenging weekend in Monaco.

Red Bull held on with Verstappen until the very last moment in the Monaco Grand Prix, with the Dutchman leading the race but yet to take his second mandatory pit stop, as the team held out hope for a late red flag or Safety Car intervention that could have transformed the result. When this failed to materialise, the Dutchman was relegated from the podium positions to fourth after stopping on the penultimate lap.

While hardly a disastrous outcome, this meant he lost ground on McLaren drivers Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris in the Drivers’ Championship battle after making gains at Imola the week prior with his victory – which included a stunning pass on McLaren’s Oscar Piastri for the lead on Lap 1.

With victories in each of the past three visits to the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Verstappen was hopeful of recapturing this race-winning form and make it four Spanish Grand Prix wins in succession.

‘Hopefully we can be a bit more competitive’ – Verstappen looking to bounce back in Barcelona

“Monaco is in the past and I don’t think we need to talk about that too much, but hopefully, we can be a bit more competitive here,” said Verstappen in Barcelona. “On my side, I hope it will be a bit more similar to Imola. But it’s a bit difficult to tell.

“I know the competition we have from the other teams, I know where they are strong, and from us, I think we have to see if we can balance the car or put it again into a nice window, so we’re not hard on the tyres and it becomes drivable where you feel comfortable and then can pass a bit more to the limit. I think that’s what we’ll try to achieve.”

Verstappen’s recent results would suggest a podium appearance is likely on Sunday, given he has a total of four wins in Barcelona and has featured in the top three in each year since 2018. Since joining Red Bull ahead of the 2016 Spanish Grand Prix, a race in which he scored his maiden victory, he has only failed to stand on the podium once – this through a retirement in 2017.

Circuit de Catalunya, Barcelona, Spain. Sunday 15 May 2016. Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, 1st — Verstappen won on his 2016 debut with Red Bull after being promoted from Toro Rosso – now Racing Bulls.

Asked what makes him so strong around this track, he added: “Sometimes it’s very difficult to explain. I like the track, that is for sure. Luckily, there are also not many retirements – that can happen as well at some tracks.

“I enjoy driving here, I enjoy being here. The car I think in the past has been pretty competitive around here at times, so I guess that means why you have those kinds of stats around a track like this.”

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