Max Verstappen was beaten by both Racing Bulls drivers in FP2 (Image: Getty)
bosses will be having ‘stern conversations’ amongst themselves after was outpaced by young rookie in Friday practice, according to pundit . There are already warning signs suggesting that Verstappen could find it tough to retain his world title this year, and will have to find an extra gear from somewhere if they are to be competitive at the on Sunday.
Reigning four-time world champion Verstappen may have been a tad embarrassed as he climbed out of his car after Friday’s second practice session, having posted a fastest lap time slower than Racing Bulls rookie Isack Hadjar. Fellow driver was almost three tenths quicker than Verstappen, with being shown up by their sister team.
Although a lot can change between a Friday practice session and the full-blooded race on Sunday, former F1 star Chandhok believes that Verstappen lagging behind Hadjar will provide some cause for concern in the camp.
“Both [Racing Bulls] drivers did a great job, showing a lot of confidence,” Chandhok told Sky Sports. “Isack Hadjar, in particular, on his first day officially as a Grand Prix driver, to be ahead of , I’d imagine some pretty stern conversations are going on back and forth.
“It is only Friday, we don’t know the engine modes, etcetera, but they’ll sleep well tonight, whereas I’m not sure the camp will, being six-tenths away from Charles Leclerc’s time.”
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Karun Chandhok believes that Red Bull will be having ‘stern conversations’ (Image: Getty)
Verstappen was not the only struggler, as his new team-mate Liam Lawson was a lowly 17th in Friday’s second session, more than a second behind leader Leclerc. The Kiwi will be under pressure to at least cling onto Verstappen’s coat-tails this season after earning a rapid promotion from Racing Bulls.
But Chandhok was not entirely convinced by what he saw. “It looked edgy to drive,” he said. “Lawson never really looked comfortable. At no point on any of the runs did he pop up on the timesheets. It looked like a challenge for him.
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“Even when he went from the medium to the soft, he was still behind Max’s medium time. It’s been a tough day, six tenths away from Max. Tomorrow’s a fresh day and we’ll see if they can dig themselves out of it, but it’s not been an easy start for Lawson at that team.”
Verstappen and Lawson both fared better in Friday’s first practice session. But the Dutchman was still four and a half tenths of leader , and Lawson was way down in P16.