Verstappen reveals true feelings on Madring layout after Friday running

Verstappen's first day at the Madring proved relatively subdued, with the four-time world champion unable to match the pace set by Mercedes at the front. He finished FP1 in fifth place, more than six tenths behind George Russell, before showing signs of improvement during the early stages of FP2.

On the medium tyres, Verstappen briefly moved to the top with a 1:34.378, 50 thousandths clear of Kimi Antonelli, but his spell in first place was short-lived as Mercedes quickly responded. That lap was later deleted for track limits, while the switch to the soft tyres ultimately left the Red Bull driver sixth-fastest at the end of the day, four tenths away from Antonelli's benchmark.

There was also an unexpected result within the Red Bull Ford-powered contingent, as Arvid Lindblad ended Friday as the fastest of the drivers using the power unit. The Racing Bulls youngster showed impressive speed during the qualifying simulations, at one stage moving into second place with a lap just 80 thousandths slower than Charles Leclerc.

His session later came to an abrupt end when he lost control at Turn 13 and crashed heavily into the barriers, triggering the first red flag of the Formula 1 weekend at the Madring. Despite the accident, Lindblad's best lap remained enough to leave him ahead of Verstappen in the final FP2 classification.

Speaking at the end of the day, the Dutchman admitted Red Bull's position was more or less in line with expectations, while highlighting the need to improve the car's balance and extract more performance over a single lap. Verstappen also pointed to tyre behaviour over the longer runs as another area to assess.

Speaking about the steering problems he reported during FP2, the Dutchman added: "It's all drivable, but it was not feeling the same, but they will fix it."

Finally, giving his verdict on the new Madring circuit, Verstappen admitted that his preference for traditional tracks such as Spa over street circuits remains unchanged. However, the Dutchman praised the work carried out in Madrid and the way the new venue has been built.