Verstappen faces mounting pressure as Red Bull's edge dulls
Hungarian Grand Prix review: Max Verstappen’s winning streak broken.
Max Verstappen, known for his candidness, left no room for ambiguities following the Hungarian Grand Prix on Sunday. His third consecutive race without a victory has exposed growing tensions within the Red Bull camp, a team that has enjoyed unparalleled success over the past two-and-a-half seasons.
Verstappen’s frustration was palpable as he dissected Red Bull’s strategy missteps, which left him finishing fifth after a collision. Echoing his concerns post-race, Verstappen unequivocally stated: "We didn't have the pace to fight McLaren today, but then I think we could still have had a P3."
Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri’s strong performance for McLaren compounded Verstappen’s woes but still left him with a 76-point lead in the championship. Despite this buffer, Verstappen’s appraisal was brutally honest. "Maybe some people are not on the same wavelength," he noted, hinting at a possible disconnect within the team.
During the race, Verstappen’s dissatisfaction boiled over into a series of heated radio messages. Known for their frank communication, Verstappen and his race engineer, Gianpiero Lambiase, engaged in unusually terse exchanges.
"It's quite impressive how we let ourselves get undercut," Verstappen admonished after losing positions during pit stops. Lambiase, known for not holding back, retorted, "Well, that's some gentle introduction," to which Verstappen replied, "No, mate, don't give me that s--- now."
Despite the tense interactions, team principal Christian Horner downplayed any notion of a rift, attributing the ‘childish’ comment as aimed at rival teams rather than Verstappen himself.
Red Bull’s Performance Faces Scrutiny. At the root of the unrest is the performance of the RB20, which failed to match McLaren’s pace on the Hungarian circuit. Despite introducing significant upgrades, Verstappen struggled. "For sure the upgrades work, but we're still not first, right? So we need more," he admitted.
Looking ahead to the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps, Horner remains optimistic. "I think we've got more performance to bring," he stated, emphasizing the need to fine-tune the car's setup to reclaim their early-season dominance. "The trick is how you translate those issues into solutions, engineering-wise and aerodynamically."
The upcoming rounds will be pivotal for Red Bull and Verstappen. As they strive to address the car’s limitations and settle internal tensions, the focus remains singular: to return to winning ways. Anything less will likely intensify the scrutiny and pressure surrounding the team.
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