Verstappen sees a decline: 'We are struggling with that more now'

The only competitor of Mercedes this year is Red Bull Racing and the team seem to be getting a little closer in qualifying. However, Max Verstappen does see a decline compared to last year.

In the only free practice session at Imola, it looked as if Verstappen could compete with Mercedes later in the day. That thought was quickly shattered in qualifying. The Dutchman couldn't follow the pace of the black arrows and had to settle for third place again.

The Red Bull Racing team are getting a little closer on Saturday, but according to Verstappen, the result varies a lot from circuit to circuit. "The clipping on particular tracks is more of a problem for us compared to others. So that way you lose more time on the straights," the driver explained in the press conference to the press, including RaceFans.net.

Problems on Sunday

"Compared to last year we always seemed to be gaining some time from qualifying to the race and this year it looks like we're qualifying a little better and then struggling more with the races. But that's not the case on every track," the Dutchman continued.

Verstappen explains that on some circuits the gap with Mercedes is very small. "The Nürburgring wasn't so bad. I think we were pretty competitive there. It was just a couple of corners where we had a little more difficulties and Lewis Hamilton was able to pull a gap with me. We can't really compare the previous race because of the chaotic first lap, the asphalt and I was working on a different strategy. So I don't think we can speak of a trend," concluded the Red Bull Racing driver. Tomorrow, Verstappen will start from P3 on the medium tyres, as will Hamilton and Bottas who are on the front-row of the grid.