Verstappen on problems: "Couldn't see anything above 250"

Max Verstappen performed excellently during the first two free practice sessions in Portugal. The Dutchman finished twice in second position behind a Mercedes. The tension towards qualifying is therefore increasing.

Verstappen noticed that the free practices did not go entirely smoothly. "When the track is like this, it's difficult to get balance in the car," he told Ziggo Sport. "It's more about the tyre temperature and how the tyres react. At the moment they react differently to other circuits. Therefore, this weekend will not quite reflect what we had in the first two weekends, because it is abnormal with the conditions."

The Dutchman indicated to his team during practice that he was experiencing problems with his car. In the interview he explains: "That was the smallest problem. We put the tyres on and Pirelli had completely misbalanced them. I couldn't see anything above 250, so couldn't lead a decent lap."

Pérez again disappointing

Sergio Pérez has not yet managed to keep up with Verstappen's pace. In Bahrain and Imola he was criticised for his performance. During the first free practice in Portugal he seemed to recover with a third position, but a few hours later he finished in tenth position. The Mexican therefore has plenty of work to do this weekend.