Max Verstappen and Red Bull have finally started showing signs of weakness, and while Ferrari and McLaren are catching up fast, the Austrian team isn’t without faults of its own. The pressure is one, so mistakes are costlier and Verstappen doesn’t want to pay the price.
The whispers of Verstappen moving to Mercedes had cooled down over the season, but the door hadn’t been fully closed. According to F1-Insider, certain concerns in Monaco might push him towards Brackley. The report states that Verstappen has lost faith in the technology of the team “and does not feel taken seriously enough by the engineers.” Confidence is dwindling, and qualifying 6th in the Principality was a token of that.
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Max Verstappen had mentioned the car struggled on bumpier tracks, unable to attack and drive around high curbs, and adjusting it does little to help. Marko had also backed this. “If we change the height, we lose a lot of downforce. That’s why we are limited in this area. However, we believe that we will still be superior on conventional routes such as in Barcelona. If not, then we do have a problem.”
Marko has also attributed the positive aspects of the Monaco GP weekend to Verstappen’s skillset and pushing the car to functionality. Additionally, there was no help. The simulator didn’t show any problems with the curb, and this isn’t new for Red Bull. Verstappen has allegedly been complaining about the false data with no solutions being brought up.
Max Verstappen annoyed for other reasons
Technical problems aside, the whole Christian Horner scandal also still runs in the organization. Many have attributed it to the lack of order and performance in the team, ultimately contributing to Adrian Newey’s departure. Turns out, it is beginning to affect Max Verstappen as well.
Jos Verstappen recently voiced his concerns regarding the same. “Maybe they should focus more on career and mutual communication rather than on other things…”
In true Verstappen fashion, Jos puts it plainly, “Max still conceals the problems, but with his teammate Sergio Perez it becomes obvious – the difference between the two is currently huge. The time when Red Bull had the dominant car seems to be over.”
As he and his son tap their feet impatiently for some solution, their rivals take full advantage of the fallen giants and with each upgrade, get closer to finally giving the fans what they want- a tight title battle.
