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Max Verstappen claimed that his Red Bull was simply "not quick enough" when compared to the McLaren of Lando Norris after the first day of running at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on Friday. The Dutchman finished both FP1 and FP2 second only to his main championship rival.
Max Verstappen is heading into the Abu Dhabi GP with an outside chance of claiming his fifth drivers' title. He is 12 points behind Lando Norris, who, based on the first two practice sessions, seems to be the quickest man at the Yas Marina Circuit this weekend.
After the end of FP2 on Friday, Verstappen reflected on his day and made it clear that, despite a decent outing, he was nowhere near his rival's pace.
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"I was fairly happy with the car, we just need to be probably a little bit faster (smiles). Still not quick enough but I think overall we have been in for us a decent window around here," said Verstappen [via Sky Sports].
"Seems that it's a decent gap that we need to close to Norris but from our side we will just try to put the best car forward. And yeah, let's see how much we can find overnight," he added.
When asked about the ride quality of the RB21, Max Verstappen explained that it felt much the same as before for him, as he was still experiencing porpoising on the straights. The 4x world champion added that the McLarens seem to be quicker than him in both race trim and one lap pace.
This means the mechanics at Red Bull have a long night ahead as they work to improve the car. But the Milton Keynes-based outfit has often provided a drastically different car to their drivers from Friday to Saturday on several occasions this year, and Verstappen will be hoping they can work their magic one more time.
Lando Norris reflects on Friday practice at Abu Dhabi GP amid title showdown with Max Verstappen
Lando Norris claimed he had a positive day on Friday at the Abu Dhabi GP as he goes up against Max Verstappen and Lando Norris for the drivers' title. The 26-year-old also mentioned that he was not completely satisfied with his McLaren going into Saturday and that there was still work to be done.
Speaking after FP2, Norris said [via F1 TV]:
"I mean, obviously, from the times and everything, things are good at the minute, but I still want a bit more from the car. Not completely happy, not completely confident, we're a bit in the middle of trying some different things and trying to understand some things with the car."
"But, you know, it's not been a bad day for sure. It's been a positive day. But we always know we get a lot closer going into Qualifying, so, um, nothing to smile about, just yet,” he added.
Norris also denied that he had an edge over teammate Oscar Piastri, who missed out on any running during the FP1 session on Friday. The Aussie is also still in contention for the drivers' title but is 16 points behind the championship lead, and now behind Max Verstappen in the standings.
