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Max Verstappen described his Red Bull’s straight-line speed as being like a “turtle” after the Italian Grand Prix, highlighting the performance deficit he faced against the Mercedes-powered cars at Monza.
The four-time world champion still produced a strong recovery drive, turning fifth on the grid into third place and securing his fifth podium finish of the campaign. He briefly moved into the lead after overtaking George Russell early in the race, but the Mercedes driver quickly reclaimed the position before eventual winner Kimi Antonelli also passed Verstappen with relative ease.
Verstappen’s podium was therefore built around limiting the damage. Despite the Red Bull’s weakness on the straights, he kept the Ferraris and McLarens behind and repeatedly made the difference under braking. Several overtakes came around the outside of corners, where his confidence in the car’s braking performance allowed him to attack the braking zones aggressively.
The result underlined the contrast in Red Bull’s package: competitive enough in the corners and under braking to fight for the podium, but vulnerable whenever rivals could exploit their speed advantage in a straight line. That weakness had already been part of a difficult Monza weekend, as Red Bull’s earlier balance problems at Monza had left Verstappen and the team facing broader performance concerns.
Asked how he had enjoyed a race in which rivals could drive past him on the straights, Verstappen gave a blunt assessment.
“Yeah, I mean, to be honest, not a lot when people just drive by you like you’re a turtle.”
His response also captured the approach that delivered the podium.
“But, yeah, just send it back around the outside. The car is good on the brakes, so that helps, so good confidence to attack the braking zones.”
Verstappen said he executed that move twice at the start, at Turns 2 and 4. The combination of determined driving and strong braking performance enabled him to maximise the car’s strengths, even as the straight-line deficit remained a constant frustration.
The Italian Grand Prix was made more difficult by the reappearance of a rear axle issue that Verstappen had complained about during the event. He confirmed that nothing had changed in the race and said the problem continued to cost performance.
“Yeah, it’s still there. I mean, nothing changed. It’s just not good.”
According to Verstappen, the car struggled over bumps and kerbs, particularly in low-speed corners, because the rear axle was not sufficiently compliant. The issue was “not ideal again”, but he said his focus remained on extracting everything possible from the Red Bull.
“But I just try to maximise everything that I can.”
He’s a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.