Max Verstappen predicts “bumpy” Canadian GP to be “tricky” for Red Bull

Max Verstappen is expecting another “tricky” weekend for Red Bull at the Canadian Grand Prix.

Red Bull struggled for pace relative to Ferrari and McLaren last time out in Monaco.

Verstappen finished sixth in the principality, making it his worst on-track finish since the 2022 Sao Paulo Grand Prix.

A recurring theme for Red Bull this year is their difficulties at street tracks, particularly ones that are bumpy or require significant kerb usage.

Even though the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve has been resurfaced, having a good ride over kerbs has always been a key factor in a car performing well.

“We have to wait and see, new surface as well I think, that might also give us some surprises," Verstappen said.

"But it is probably also not going to be our strongest weekend because of that. But probably a little bit better than [Monaco].

"Any track that is bumpy or has kerbs, or you have to ride a lot of kerbs, so the street circuits will probably be a little bit tricky. But hopefully by then, we have a little bit of understanding of what is going on.”

Red Bull have won the last two Canadian Grands Prix.

In 2022, Verstappen fended off Carlos Sainz to take the victory, while a year later, he resisted Fernando Alonso’s charge.

Team boss Christian Horner believes the change in track surface could swing things unexpectedly.

"It's a track that we've performed well at previously. They've resurfaced the whole circuit again. So let's see," Horner added.

"But Ferrari, McLaren, they're quick. It was always going to happen that there was going to be convergence. This has been a tough weekend, but we're still leading both championships.

"We'll look to take the lessons out of this weekend and apply them to the next one.

"[Canada is] very much traction, but with a new surface you don't know what the balance is going to swing to."