Red Bull RB21 ‘still not where I want it to be’ as Verstappen seeks further gains in Saudi Arabia

Max Verstappen believes that Red Bull’s RB21 is “still not where I want it to be” despite finishing just behind the McLaren duo in practice for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix.

The reigning World Champion took third spot in FP2 on Friday evening at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit, just over two tenths behind pacesetter Lando Norris and a little less adrift of Oscar Piastri.

READ MORE: Norris tops the times during second practice in Saudi Arabia as Tsunoda crashes

Verstappen had earlier finished ninth in the opening practice session nearly six tenths behind having complained about the balance with his car through the high-speed bends.

“We tried some different things with the car, trying to find maybe a different direction with it,” said Verstappen on his pace improvement into the afternoon session.

“I think we learned a lot from it, it’s still not where I want it to be.

"Personally, I don’t really look at the gaps, I think at the end of the day you have to just go from your own feeling and what you feel in the car. Over one lap it’s a bit better but then the long runs they were very tough still for us.”

READ MORE: Norris and McLaren 'not as comfortable as what we would like' despite topping practice in Saudi Arabia

Verstappen has endured a mixed 2025 campaign so far, having taken an unlikely win in Japan before struggling in Bahrain where he was only able to salvage sixth.

Speaking about the differences between last weekend and Saudi Arabia, Verstappen believed the main thing was finding more outright pace with his car.

“Grip levels are different but also the circuit is completely different so it’s very hard to compare but it’s still of course that we want to be faster,” he said.

When asked about his chances over the weekend, he added: “It’s difficult to say really. I think one standout of course again is McLaren being very competitive but from our side there’s still quite a bit of work to do and things to understand.”

WATCH: Tsunoda crash brings out the red flags during FP2 in Saudi Arabia

Verstappen’s Red Bull team mate Yuki Tsunoda suffered a more dramatic day, ending FP2 in the barriers after crashing out at the last corner.

“I just turned in too much and clipped the wall with the inside wheel and had damage,” said Tsunoda after the incident. “After that, I just had no control. Apologies to the team. The pace was looking good so it’s a shame.”

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