The four-time world champion battled to third at Monza, despite struggling for speed on the long straights. Verstappen said the deficit left him vulnerable whenever rivals were able to use their deployment advantage.
“I tried to battle but we were just too slow on the straight. We just lacked the same deployment, and that basically cost us a lot because at one point it’s not defendable anymore,” Verstappen said.
The Red Bull driver explained that once he was running behind Kimi and George, he was able to stay within their Overtake Mode range, but the problem remained whenever he had to defend his position.
“Once I got into the lead it was very hard to defend and that was my problem throughout the whole race,” he added.
With straight-line speed working against him, Verstappen had to rely on aggressive braking to make his moves stick.
“I was so slow on the straight that the only chance was just to try and brake late and try to get my positions back all the time,” he said.
Despite the difficulties, Verstappen viewed the podium as an encouraging result, particularly after Red Bull struggled for performance at his home race at Zandvoort.
“For us to be on the podium after a very difficult weekend at Zandvoort, where the car wasn’t to my liking, we managed to have a strong turnaround from Friday to Saturday,” he said.
Verstappen believes Red Bull made clear progress during the Italian Grand Prix weekend, although he knows there is still work to do.
“The car was definitely in better condition but we still have a few areas that we know we need to be better,” he added.
Formula 1 now heads to Madrid for the Spanish Grand Prix from September 11 to 13, with the race taking place on Sunday, September 13. The event will mark the debut of Madrid’s new street circuit on the F1 calendar.
