Max Verstappen faced a challenging start to the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix, expressing hope that Saturday would improve after struggling with his Red Bull on Friday. During Free Practice 1, Verstappen reported a lack of grip, which led to several off-track excursions. His difficulties persisted into the second practice session, as he continued to battle the same issue with his RB20.
Verstappen ended the day in seventh place on the timesheets. Reflecting on his struggles, he described the day as "difficult," noting that it was hard to achieve a good balance and that he felt uncomfortable in the car. The reigning world champion highlighted how easy it was to lose control and emphasized the need to address these problems if he wanted to be competitive in the upcoming sessions.
Despite the tough day, Verstappen remained optimistic about making improvements. He acknowledged the team's need to analyze and rectify the issues overnight. With a hopeful attitude, Verstappen remarked, "I guess it can’t be worse than what we had today!" He also pointed out that other teams seemed to have made progress, which added to the challenge for Red Bull.
In addition to his car troubles, Verstappen experienced frustration during FP2 when he encountered a slow-moving Lewis Hamilton near the hairpin. Hamilton, on a cool-down lap, raised his hand to apologize for the incident. Verstappen, while recognizing that it wasn’t a significant issue, noted that the main focus remained on fixing the car's pace. Hamilton admitted his mistake, explaining that he thought he had given enough space, only to find Verstappen suddenly close behind.
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