Max Verstappen’s outburst on the team radio at the Hungarian GP made several headlines. It was the first time in the last two to three years that the Dutchman was so livid. His anger received immense backlash and even his race engineer gave fitting responses. However, Red Bull sorted out these issues before the Belgium GP weekend.
Now, Guenther Steiner has advised the Milton Keynes outfit to handle such intense situations with Verstappen differently. He spoke on a special podcast with RacingNews365 by stating, “I would have tried to calm him down because he is feeling the pressure now”.
“You always have to think that being aggressive towards him would have upset him even more. He has to know now that he doesn’t have the dominant car for the rest of the season”, the former Haas boss added.
Steiner deemed Verstappen to be a “smart guy” and he felt that “the emotions played tricks on him”. That is why, Steiner believes that Verstappen reacted so uncharacteristically, which is contrasting to his demeanor in the last two seasons. Red Bull’s car also not being as strong as last year is a major factor behind it.
Not the *most* positive radio message from Verstappen… pic.twitter.com/cZHXfX35j2
— The Race (@wearetherace) July 21, 2024
Now that Verstappen doesn’t have a dominant car, he cannot afford to make too many mistakes. The three-time champion admitted that he is driving beyond the limit at several races this season. So, amid that, if Red Bull makes a strategic error that costs him a podium or a win, it is natural for him to feel frustrated.
Regardless, the Milton Keynes outfit need to make Verstappen accustomed to this new reality. And to some extent, the Dutchman understands that they may have to make the most of the existing RB20 package with their upgrades not working well.
Verstappen and Red Bull know they are under “pressure”
Verstappen would have sensed the tables turning after the Miami GP itself. When Lando Norris chased him like anything in Imola, the three-time champion got the first taste of how much of a step forward McLaren had taken with their car.
Heading into the Spanish GP, he admitted that last year he did not feel the need to push at a 100% level, given the performance advantage Red Bull had. However, after Miami and Imola, that situation changed drastically.
He said, “I think there have been races where maybe we are under more pressure. As a result, you have to drive against 100 percent more often. That is normal.” Since then, Verstappen has encountered an underwhelming run relative to his lofty standards.
For the first time since 2020, the Dutchman has not won a Grand Prix for four consecutive races. While he would want to enjoy the summer break for the time being, Verstappen would be thinking about how to orchestrate a comeback for Red Bull from Zandvoort onwards.
