{"id":34177,"date":"2025-05-24T02:40:24","date_gmt":"2025-05-24T06:40:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/?p=34177"},"modified":"2025-05-24T02:40:24","modified_gmt":"2025-05-24T06:40:24","slug":"max-verstappen-weary-of-ferrari-threat-in-monaco","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/motorsports\/2025\/05\/24\/max-verstappen-weary-of-ferrari-threat-in-monaco\/","title":{"rendered":"Max Verstappen weary of Ferrari threat in Monaco"},"content":{"rendered":"

Max Verstappen and Yuki Tsunoda<\/a> went under the radar in Friday Practice at Monaco, finishing 10th and 11th respectively in FP2.<\/p>\n

The RB21 was finally capable of outperforming McLaren’s MCL39<\/a> in Imola on race day, with McLaren’s tyre degradation finally meeting its match.<\/p>\n

Of course, one race weekend is not a big enough sample size to validate Red Bull’s progress relative to McLaren.<\/p>\n

Their performance at this highly demanding Monaco circuit, alongside the impact of Spain’s technical directive, will provide more concrete indications about the RB21.<\/p>\n

Looking ahead to qualifying, Verstappen has warned that other teams look very strong.<\/p>\n

Red Bull a few steps behind Ferrari on Friday<\/h2>\n

For many reasons, lap times in Friday Practice can be misleading.<\/p>\n

Differences in fuel loads and engine modes, for example, can skew a team’s true performance.<\/p>\n

Red Bull, for example, are known for being more competitive in qualifying than in Free Practice – whilst other teams opt to run less fuel on Fridays.<\/p>\n

Aside from this, set-up changes are also influential in a team’s performance.<\/p>\n

Christian Horner’s team<\/a> often unlock more pace after analysing the FP1 and FP2 data, which is why yesterday’s lap times will not concern the Austrian squad.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>