Red Bull is still chasing the pace in Barcelona

It is a rare feeling to see Red Bull struggling to find their rhythm, yet here we are. Paul Monaghan, the team's Chief Engineer, has been candid about their situation, admitting that while the garage has managed to make a lot of progress with the machine over recent months, they are simply not quite close enough yet to the opposition.

In the Spanish sun, the reality of that gap became visible on the timing screens. Max Verstappen ended the day in Barcelona with a P4 finish in FP1, followed by a P6 result in FP2. It is a sobering reminder that even for the best, the hunt for performance never stops.