Max Verstappen said Red Bull's biggest problem in Sunday’s Italian Grand Prix was simple: the car could not match the electrical energy deployment of the Mercedes-powered cars, and that made defending on Monza's long straights extremely difficult.
The Red Bull driver still finished on the podium for the fifth time this season after what looked like an awkward weekend at first. But Verstappen's post-race comments made clear that, even with a better race car than he had on Friday, the straight-line battle was still a major limitation.
“I think it was quite clear during the race that we just can’t keep up with the deployment of the Mercedes-powered cars,” Verstappen said. “And, of course, that is very tough on a track like Monza.”
That is the heart of the issue. The FIA had reduced energy harvest limits to their lowest levels at the fastest track on the calendar, but Verstappen still felt the effect of Overtake Mode whenever he tried to hold position. In his view, the tool looked useful when he was chasing, but became a problem the moment he had to defend.
Why Verstappen felt powerless in Overtake Mode battles
Verstappen said the situation was especially frustrating because the car was competitive in other areas. He explained that the Red Bull felt strong on the brakes, which gave him confidence into the braking zones, but that advantage did not fully offset what was happening on the straights.
“Of course, with the Overtake Mode it looked quite promising, but as soon as I got in the lead, it was very hard to defend,” he said. “That was my problem a bit throughout the whole race.”
He added that even with a Virtual Safety Car helping him and with better tyres, he still had to work hard just to clear cars. Once rivals could stay in Overtake Mode, Verstappen said they simply had too much deployment for Red Bull to defend properly, even on fresher rubber.
That led to one of the most striking lines of the day, when Verstappen said cars were passing him “like you’re a turtle.” It summed up the problem neatly: Red Bull could attack into the braking zones, but on the straight the gap in energy deployment left him exposed.
A strong turnaround, but still clear limits
For Verstappen, the podium finish was still a positive result after the difficult start to the weekend. He said Red Bull had gone from a “very difficult” Friday in Zandvoort to a much better window by Saturday, and that progress carried into Sunday.
“For us to be on the podium, I think after a very difficult weekend in Zandvoort, where the car was not really to my liking, we managed to have a strong turnaround from Friday to Saturday and the car was definitely in a better window,” he said.
Even so, he was careful not to oversell the performance. Verstappen said Red Bull still has “a few bits and areas” that need to be better, and he pointed specifically to the obvious deployment issue on the straights.
That is the broader takeaway from Monza. Red Bull may have recovered well enough to keep Verstappen in the fight, but the Italian Grand Prix also exposed a weakness that matters on the quickest circuits. If the car cannot keep up in Overtake Mode, then even a driver as sharp as Verstappen will find it difficult to hold off pressure for long.
For now, Verstappen can take satisfaction from a fifth podium of the season and from a weekend that improved sharply after Friday. But Monza showed that, on the fastest track on the calendar, straight-line deployment can still decide whether Red Bull are racing for victory or simply defending as best they can.
