Verstappen: Red Bull Ring 'not ideal' for RB12 car - MotorSportsTalk

Max Verstappen believes that the Red Bull Ring is “not the most ideal circuit” for his Red Bull RB12 as he prepares for the team’s home grand prix.

Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz brought Formula 1 back to Austria in 2014 after an 11-year absence, but is yet to see his team score a top-five finish on home soil.

Verstappen joined Red Bull for the Spanish Grand Prix in May, and is relishing the team’s home race next weekend.

“I think Canada and Baku were pretty positive for me. I enjoyed my defence in Canada and was happy with fourth,” Verstappen reflected.

“It was a really good feeling to have Nico behind me and being able to defend my position. In Baku it was a tricky start with a good end.”

However, the Dutchman does fear that the fast-flowing nature of the Red Bull Ring may work against his RB12 car, which excels at low speed and accelerating out of corners.

“It might not be the most ideal circuit for our car in terms of performance but it’s still very enjoyable,” Verstappen said.

“Last year was actually a very good race – I qualified seventh and then eventually finished eighth so it wasn’t too bad.

“I’ve spent a lot of time in Austria since I was a kid, either skiing or there for go-karting, and I think it’s a very beautiful country in general, and somewhere I feel quite at home.”

Follow @LukeSmithF1

In a continuing effort to help fans keep track of the on track action, SuperMotocross is in the process of developing and implementing leader lights for the unified series.

Currently Supercross (SMX) utilizes stanchions in the infield that are triggered manually by a race official. At least two stanchions are used in each race as a way to draw the eye to the leader, which is especially useful in the tight confines of the stadium series when lapping often begins before the halfway mark in the 22-bike field. This system has been in place for the past two decades.

Later this year, a fully automated system will move to the bike itself to replace the old system. At that point, fans will be able to identify the leader regardless of where he is on track.

The leader lights were tested in the second Anaheim round this year. An example can be seen at the 1:45 mark in the video above on the No. 69 bike.

“What we don’t want to do is move too fast, where it’s confusing to people,” said Mike Muye, senior director of operations for Supercross and SMX in a press release. “We’ve really just focused on the leader at this point with the thought that maybe down the road we’ll introduce others.”

Scheduled to debut with the first SuperMotocross World Championship race at zMax Dragway, located just outside the Charlotte Motor Speedway, a 3D carbon fiber-printed LED light will be affixed to each motorcycle. Ten timing loops positioned around the track will trigger the lights of the leader, which will turn green.

SMX’s partner LiveTime Scoring helped develop and implement the system that has been tested in some form or fashion since 2019.

When the leader lights are successfully deployed, SuperMotocross will explore expanding the system to identify the second- and third-place riders. Depending on need and fan acceptance, more positions could be added.

SuperMotocross is exploring future enhancements, including allowing for live fan interaction with the lights and ways to use the lighting system during the race’s opening ceremony.

Verstappen: Red Bull Ring ‘not ideal’ for RB12 car

SuperMotocross set to introduce Leader Lights beginning with the World Championship finals

Read more about SuperMotocross