Max Verstappen Opens Up About Red Bull Set-Up Disagreements Before F1 Record
Max Verstappen has revealed there were some internal disagreements within Red Bull regarding his setup choices ahead of his record-breaking performance in Italian Grand Prix qualifying.
Verstappen clocked the fastest lap in F1 history at Monza to secure pole position, edging out Lando Norris, who had also broken the previous fastest time set by Lewis Hamilton in 2020.
Despite a quiet start to the weekend, with Verstappen not cracking the top three in any of the practice sessions, he came alive in qualifying to claim his fifth pole of the season and Red Bull’s 45th pole position, breaking Sebastian Vettel’s previous team record of 44.
After his incredible lap, Verstappen explained that small setup adjustments were crucial to his success, although these decisions sparked some internal questioning within the team.
“Before qualifying, we had some disagreements in the team,” Verstappen shared with the media, including RacingNews365. “Some people wanted to try a different setup, but I insisted: ‘No, we need to go this way.'”
“As I walked away and headed back to my driver room, I could see a few more people starting to question the setup we’d chosen,” he continued. “But for me, it felt like: ‘This is the right way,’ and thankfully, it worked out.”
Verstappen acknowledged that decisions were made in collaboration with his engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, and the rest of the team, but he understood the doubts being raised.
“In the end, I’m the one in the car, feeling things out,” Verstappen explained. “I trusted that making a few more tweaks would improve the car, and it did.”
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