‘Max was the moral winner’ : Peter Windsor expects Max Verstappen to fire up on race day

‘Max was the moral winner’ : Peter Windsor expects Max Verstappen to fire up on race day

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen is taking another grid penalty for the Italian GP. Max has opted for a new combustion engine which will put him five positions down from his original spot. Though Red Bull is expected to be very fast on the Italian asphalt, Max would love to start from the minimum position possible. Peter Windsor at least expects the Dutchman to start from the third row of the grid.

Ferrari came out to be the fastest on the Friday sessions of the Italian GP. Charles Leclerc, Max’s rival, managed a P1 finish in both the practice sessions. But Peter doesn’t see Max losing out on the Ferrari’s in terms of pace. Max was hindered big time by Lando Norris on the first practice session which didn’t let him set his fastest lap. The second practice wasn’t really a target for the Dutchman who planned to save a bit of power.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WocO7gVg4mo

Max was also on high fuel mode that didn’t let him close to the Ferrari but Peter expects much more from him on Saturday, “To my eye, it was Max who was really quick throughout the day. No surprise there. We all expected Red Bull’s aero efficiency would be heavily on display as it was at Spa. Max really quick, did a lot of laps with a lot of fuel in the car which is why he wasn’t out there playing with the Ferraris for a quick time,” said Windsor.

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Max Verstappen targeting a win on Sunday

Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen will serve five grid penalty on Sunday. Max will start from the sixth position on the grid if he manages the pole on Saturday. Verstappen started from P14 in Spa and still managed a win by a dominating margin. Monza being the temple of speed resembles Spa by a perfect margin.

Red Bull expects RB18 to have a similar dominance on the Italian asphalt. “He is setting up the car for potentially a third-row start, making sure the tyres can last, which tyres he wants to start on, and tuning his top speed against how much downforce he wants to run,” Windsor concluded.

Charles Leclerc and Max Verstappen are expected to have a fight at Monza with many drivers serving penalties on the faster track. Ferrari should win at least at their home if not the title to manage the expectations of their fans.

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