Red Bull admits balance crisis as Verstappen struggles at Monza

Red Bull arrived at Monza hoping for a better weekend than Zandvoort, but Friday practice exposed a worrying high-speed balance weakness in the RB22. Verstappen ended FP2 ninth.

Why it matters:

Monza's fast corners demand stability. A car that cannot be trusted at high speed costs lap time. Red Bull cannot afford another weekend of chasing set-up.

The details:

• Verstappen only ran in FP2 after Ayumu Iwasa took the car for the mandatory rookie session. He reported braking issues, a lack of rear downforce and severe bouncing.
• Technical director Pierre Wache admitted the problem is a balance issue, "a little bit like Zandvoort." He said the team may need to choose between different components used in recent races.
• Iwasa's FP1 feedback matched Verstappen's: "The car feels okay on low speed, but on high speed it was quite tricky to drive, like a disconnected car balance."
• Missing Verstappen in FP1 reduced Red Bull's reaction time. Wache: "It doesn't help when Max is not driving during FP1 and jumps in the car for FP2. We have less time to react."

What's next:

Red Bull has a history of rescuing difficult weekends, but Wache refused to take that for granted. "I'm never confident, otherwise you will never achieve anything." The team must decide on components before FP3.