It was not a good first contact for Red Bull with the Silverstone track, where the British Grand Prix will take place this Sunday. On a rainy day, which barely allowed any firing in the first free practice, Max Verstappen was fourth in the second, more than half a second behind Checo Pérez, who was almost a second behind Carlos Sainz, the best of the day. However, the Formula 1 champion is not worried about Ferrari: “They always seem fast”.

“They always look like this. Every weekend is fast, so it’s no surprise … (But) it wasn’t bad, we’re still there, there are still some things we need to check, even the tires, so that’s okay! ”Enthused the Dutchman, 26 times Formula 1 winner and current championship leader.

“It’s always tricky when you drive a little in the first workout, because it assumes you have a lot of guesswork left in the second. I think we know which areas we need to work on and we will do it tonight, “added the 24-year-old who, after taking his sixth win of the year two Sundays ago in Canada, leads with 175 points, 46 more than his teammate and escort, the Mexican Pérez.

Instead, Czech was not so optimistic: “It will be quite difficult (to recover) but we have already done it And I think as long as we can do things in the right place, you need the confidence in these fast corners, so as long as I’m able to regain my confidence, I think things should be fine. And he added about the top competitor: “The Ferraris look strong.”

Regarding his performance on Friday, the Latino said it wasn’t “a great session”. “If I compare it with the preparation I did in the simulator, I am far from what was expected. We think the problems come from aerodynamics, but I can’t go into that until I see all the data, before I start understanding the problems, “explained the 32-year-old Mexican.

“Overall it went well today, so I’m looking forward to qualifying tomorrow (Saturday at 11 in Argentina) “, commented Verstappen. Checo added:” I hope we can catch up with Ferrari in the standings. “

Meanwhile Sainz commented: “Qualifying tomorrow could be interesting due to the uncertain weather, so even those few wet laps we did in the first free practice were useful. See what happens “.

“The second free practice was very demanding after the lack of running in the first session. We had to put together an intense shooting plan for the second free practice, to adequately control the pace in one lap and in the long runs,” he added. Sainz., 27, who after finishing second in Canada and signing the fifth podium of the season – his eleventh in F1 – confirmed his fifth place in the World Cup, which he occupies with 102 points, 73 less than the leader.

“It was a pretty busy session. The wind made it difficult to find the right balance for the high speed sections and the right compromise for the tires in the low sections. Overall we were fast but we believe there is still room for improvement“, he concluded, with what is expected a great Saturday and a better Sunday in the tenth round of the championship.

Saturday’s activity will start a little earlier, at 8 with the third training session, while the race will be held on Sunday from 11 in Argentina by Star +.