Tyre management again crucial for Verstappen: 'Learn from Austria'

Max Verstappen is preparing for the French Grand Prix this weekend. After the Dutchman failed to convert his pole position in Austria into victory, he is all too keen to score well at Paul Ricard.

In 2021, Verstappen held off title rival Lewis Hamilton in an incredibly close race. This year, the Red Bull driver will take on the men of Ferrari, although there are also high expectations for the team of Mercedes.

"We had a good result last year in France as a Team. The track has a lot of technical and high-speed corners towards the end, so it will be important to look after the tyres, especially considering it’s going to be a very hot weekend", Verstappen says Red Bull's press release.

Verstappen wants to improve performance

During the Austrian Grand Prix, the Red Bull driver was overtaken no less than three times by Charles Leclerc. Verstappen's tyres deteriorated faster than those of the Monegasque, which made it difficult for the Dutchman to keep up with the pace of Ferrari. Verstappen was lucky to finish second, as Carlos Sainz crashed out due to reliability issues.

Red Bull will be hoping that tyre management is better under control in France. It looks set to be very hot at the Paul Ricard circuit, so tyre degradation will again play a big part. "I'm looking forward to another race week where we can hopefully improve on our performance from Austria and learn from our result last time out", says the Dutchman.