SILVERSTONE, U.K. -- Max Verstappen says Red Bull was losing over a second per lap in qualifying at the British Grand Prix due to a 80bhp power deficit to rivals Mercedes and Ferrari.
Verstappen qualified fifth on Sunday's grid and was 0.710s off the pole position time set by Lewis Hamilton. He pinned the blame for the size of the gap firmly on Renault's engine, which is known to be down on horsepower compared to Mercedes and Ferrari.
"If you miss 80bhp you know you're going to struggle," he said. "Also now with the cars we have [since the 2017 regulation changes], a few more corners became flat out so it just gets more and more difficult.