Verstappen’s precise feedback is a Red Bull asset, Van der Hulst argues

Max Verstappen finished third in both Friday practice sessions in Brazil, but steering problems brought his running to an early halt in FP2. RacingNews365 writer Pepijn van der Hulst argues that the episode shows the value of Verstappen’s feedback: it gives Red Bull’s engineers a starting point when they need to investigate a problem.

In FP1, downshifts on the soft tyres were far from smooth, and Verstappen lost time at Turn 4; he called the issue unacceptable. Engine braking and steering also troubled him. The steering problems led him to stop running early in FP2, when continuing no longer made sense.

Van der Hulst points to a steering problem from earlier in the year as an example. He writes that Red Bull initially found nothing unusual in the data, but Verstappen was right that something was wrong; a solution followed for the Miami Grand Prix.

Van der Hulst’s explanation includes the car as well: he says it has improved significantly since the summer, while Verstappen’s precision has contributed too.