Max Verstappen has said that Red Bull need to do some fine-tuning in order to try and close the gap in pace to Ferrari at the Monaco Grand Prix.

The RB18 has been one of the cars to beat so far this season but over one lap we have seen it being beaten by the Ferrari, with Charles Leclerc taking pole position in Miami and Spain, as well as topping both practice sessions in Monaco on Friday.

Of course, the Grand Prix is where it matters and Max has shown he has the race pace to get the results with him winning the last three races in a row, but around Monaco sometimes that doesn't count for much if you don't have track position.

Saturday in Monte-Carlo is the most important day arguably in the entire F1 calendar in terms of setting yourself up for a race result and, that said, one-lap pace is more important than it might be on a track where overtaking is easier.

That said, then, Max admits they need to find more pace to try and reel in Ferrari, with the Scuderia once again looking strong when it comes to ultimate speed:

“We tried quite a few different things with our set up today to see how the car is behaving, I was happier with the car in FP1 than in FP2.

Max Verstappen
MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 27: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 Honda during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 27, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

MONTE-CARLO, MONACO - MAY 27: Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB18 Honda during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 27, 2022 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. (Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images)

"If we get better balance we can attack the corners a bit more, then of course our lap times will improve. Clearly compared to Ferrari we still need to find more pace, so now it’s all about fine-tuning and finding a better balance.

"The track feels different this year with the new cars, the cars are a bit heavier and slower and a bit more bumpy because they are stiffer. It’s still very hectic to drive around here and I can’t wait for qualifying tomorrow.”