Verstappen targets overnight balance improvements as Tsunoda declares his progress in Canada is ‘not enough’

The usual competitive order was shaken up on the first day of running for the Canadian Grand Prix as both Red Bull drivers found it a challenge to keep pace with their rivals, while Max Verstappen expressed a belief that his performance regressed across the sessions.

After finishing FP1 in top spot just ahead of the Williams pair of Alex Albon and Carlos Sainz, the Dutchman slid down the timesheets to ninth place by the end of second practice, over half a second adrift of pace-setter George Russell.

FP2: Russell narrowly leads Norris and Antonelli in Canada after Stroll strikes the wall

Some of the attention coming into the weekend still lingered on Verstappen’s reaction and penalty for his collision with the Briton in Spain, with Team Principal Christian Horner revealing that the driver issued an apology to the team during their post-race debrief.

But the cooler conditions that Canada offers have thrown up other difficulties for Red Bull as Verstappen lamented over the radio: “When the brakes are cold, it doesn’t bite – it’s worse than FP1”. Like many others, he struggled to find the necessary grip and was seen cutting the final chicane numerous times during FP2.

Verstappen ‘lost something with the car’ between FP1 and FP2

“The day was alright to be honest,” he said. “I felt quite happy with the car. FP2 was a bit more difficult for other reasons – I think we lost something with the car balance-wise that we need to investigate, but overall I think it was quite a positive day for us.

“If we can get it back to how it felt in FP1, I think we look quite okay. Let’s see tomorrow – 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.”

HIGHLIGHTS: Catch the action as Russell tops second practice in Canada

In contrast to previous rounds, there was no clear team out at the front following the first two practice sessions – drivers from Mercedes, Red Bull, McLaren and Williams all broke into the top three without establishing an obvious favourite for Qualifying.

While Verstappen seemed assured that they could still be in the fight for the higher positions, Tsunoda held the more low-key ambition of progressing to the final stage of Qualifying, a feat he has not achieved since the Miami Grand Prix.

MONTREAL, QUEBEC - JUNE 13: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan and Oracle Red Bull Racing looks on during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Canada at Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve on June 13, 2025 in Montreal, Quebec. (Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images) — Tsunoda has so far struggled to close the gap to Verstappen

As the track evolved, everyone’s lap times improved between FP1 and FP2, but the Japanese driver dropped back from P11 to P15 with a 0.273s deficit to his team mate in the latter session.

However, he hinted at a potential change to the car that will be implemented for the remainder of the weekend and hopefully help him return to the top 10.

“I think the feeling was okay,” Tsunoda said. “I know there’s something coming for tomorrow which is good – that will hopefully give me a bit of free lap time.

“Other than that, I think it was good progress in terms of set-up but obviously not enough in the end. I definitely have to be in Q3, that’s the target. Let’s see how it goes.”