Red Bull Racing faced some real challenge on the first time in past two years. After finishing with a 99% win record in 2023, the drink based outfit were caught off-guard by rivals’ development in just one winter. McLaren and Ferrari have closed the gap to a large extend, leaving Max Verstappen frustrated.
Max Verstappen lost three races this year as McLaren and Ferrari beat them thrice in seven races already. In a latest setback, Verstappen failed to finish on the podium in Monaco as tough track conditions and horror qualifying foiled Max and Red Bull’s weekend altogether at the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix.
Max Verstappen Says Red Bull Lacked Pace In Monaco
Red Bull Racing looked in serious trouble during the Monaco Grand Prix as Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were consistently outperformed by rivals. While Checo crashed out in Q3 of qualifying, Verstappen could only manage P6. And on a track like the Monaco Grand Prix, where overtaking is extremely difficult, Verstappen’s race was deemed over in qualifying itself. Charles Leclerc, the homeboy, won the race comfortably from P1 as Max faced his third defeat of the year. And this time, he couldn’t even be on the podium, which is super rare for the reigning World Champion. Needless to say, the Dutchman was frustrated and disappointed at the same time. His frustration was visible during the press conference as Max shared his harsh take.
Max Verstappen told the media that he didn’t deserve to be on the podium as well as the press conference as Red Bull was awful for the whole weekend. He further explained that RB20 had no pace whatsoever, and an early red flag gave the rest of the pack free pitstops, meaning he couldn’t even use stop strategy. Max eventually ended up saving tryes and drove on half throttle, which made the race extremely uneventful and boring for him. He was even heard on the radio saying that he should have carried a pillow since the race was boring. “We’re driving literally half throttle on the straights in some places than you would normally do,” Max Verstappen said. Indeed, with McLaren and Ferrari breathing down Red Bull’s neck, it’s time for the drink-based outfit to kick in some sense of urgency.
Jos Verstappen Fears End Of Red Bull Dominance
In a scathing attack on Christian Horner, Max Verstappen’s dad Jos Verstappen claimed that Red Bull’s dominant era seem to be coming to an end after just 2 seasons. He urged team principal Horner to focus on racing rather than other things off the track. Jos basically hinted towards the power struggle boiling inside the camp.
Jos Verstappen is worried about Max Verstappen and his future at Red Bull, which will last until 2028. With Max now having to fight tooth and nail to win, his dad is worried that the reigning champion will fall out of love with racing and might quit Red Bull Racing or even his racing career in F1 altogether.
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