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Max Verstappen believes the gap between Red Bull and the practice front-runners is 'not dramatic' after the opening day of running in Canada.
Mercedes and Ferrari took turns of topping the first two practice sessions of the weekend on Friday, while Red Bull failed to get close to the fastest lap times.
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However, Verstappen isn't worried by the times that the team displayed in the standings, and is encouraged by the long-run pace of the energy drink squad.
"At the moment I think we need to improve a little bit, but it's not dramatic or anything," Verstappen said. "It's just fine-tuning things, and with the track being so slippery today, things weren't in our favour. We still have a bit to do.
"Today with the slippery track, it wasn't in our favour. On the long run, we do look competitive so I'm happy about that even with the disruptive running I had."
Gasly knew Verstappen was coming
Verstappen's "disruptive running" came about after he made contact with the wall at the final chicane while attempting to close out a fast lap.
The 21-year-old approached the final two corners but found teammate Pierre Gasly backing off into the corner as he prepared to set a hot lap.
Verstappen confirmed that Gasly was aware that he was coming, but that he left it too late which compromised his run through the corner.
"I heard he was told I was coming but he left it a bit late so I came into the chicane and understeered into the wall," Verstappen said.
"It compromised my running a bit but in general, the pace isn't bad, of course we want to do better.
With the soft tyres seemingly degrading rapidly, Verstappen pointed out that everyone looks to be in the same situation regarding the compound, which doesn't worry him.
"It seems quite tough for everyone but at the end of the day it's also the same for everyone. We just have to try and deal with it and try and find the best compromise."
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