Source: REUTERS/Florion Goga
[Saba Sports News] The “life-saving upgrade” bet by Red Bull Racing at the Imola Grand Prix turned out to be a laughingstock. Four-time F1 World Champion Max Verstappen bluntly tore apart the team’s fantasy after the second practice session: “These new parts are just decorations — McLaren has already left us behind.” Verstappen openly stated he had no confidence in the race. His candid admission shattered Red Bull’s hope of turning things around with the floor upgrade. Technical details showed that this round of upgrades focused on optimizing airflow around the air intakes and the edge of the floor, but the actual effect was counterproductive—Verstappen finished seventh in the first practice session, with teammate Yuki Tsunoda even finishing sixteenth. While the rankings improved slightly in the second practice, the Dutch driver revealed a crueler truth: “We’re struggling at every corner, our long-distance rhythm is being crushed by McLaren.” When asked if they could replicate the comeback from last year’s Imola race, Verstappen coldly responded: “Look at McLaren’s top speed. Isn’t the answer clear enough?” According to insiders at Red Bull, the upgrade package had serious data discrepancies during wind tunnel testing, but pressure from the standings forced its hasty deployment. This disaster, triggered by a technical misjudgment, is destroying the defending champion’s last dignity at an alarming rate.