Max Verstappen sets sights on redemption at Italian GP after tough Monza outing in 2024

Max Verstappen is aiming to put last year’s disappointment firmly behind him as he prepares for the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. The reigning World Champion endured one of his most challenging weekends of the 2024 season at the historic circuit, where Red Bull struggled for pace and failed to mount a serious challenge at the front.

In 2024, Verstappen and his then-teammate Sergio Perez qualified three-quarters of a second off the leaders, eventually finishing only sixth and eighth in the race. The Dutchman openly described the outing as “very tough,” a rare low point in what was otherwise another dominant season.

Fast forward to 2025, and Verstappen believes Red Bull is in a much stronger position. After Friday’s practice sessions, he was encouraged by the progress shown with the RB21 at Monza.

“Last year for us this was a very difficult weekend and I think we seem a lot more competitive,” Max Verstappen said. “I’ve been happy with the car as well. The sessions have been quite tricky also with people going off and putting a lot of gravel on the track, but overall it’s been quite a decent Friday I think for us.”

Encouraging start to the weekend

Despite a few moments of frustration over team radio while fine-tuning the car setup, Verstappen managed to finish just two-tenths off Lando Norris, who topped the timesheets in FP2. His performance placed him sixth overall, but crucially much closer to the leaders than in last year’s opening sessions.

The Dutchman noted that the car felt far more balanced than in 2024, and while there is still work to do overnight, he is optimistic about closing the gap further.

Tsunoda adds to Red Bull’s momentum

Max Verstappen’s teammate Yuki Tsunoda also delivered a positive showing, placing ninth in FP2 and making it two Red Bull cars inside the top ten. The Japanese driver was particularly encouraged by his short-run pace.

“Up and down,” Tsunoda admitted when reflecting on his day. “I think it ended up pretty positive for FP2, especially the short run. The pace was really, really good. We have to find out why, to be honest, because I picked up so much grip on the soft run. I didn’t expect that with the pace, so I have to understand why.”

Tsunoda acknowledged that Red Bull still needs to improve its long-run pace to be fully competitive in Sunday’s race, but the team’s overall trajectory looks far stronger than last season.

With Max Verstappen feeling more comfortable in the RB21 and Tsunoda adding depth to Red Bull’s weekend, the team appears far better prepared to tackle Monza’s high-speed demands compared to 2024. The Dutchman’s sights are firmly set on redemption, and with improved competitiveness on show, Red Bull may well turn last year’s struggles into this season’s success story.