Defending champion Max Verstappen suffered another painful defeat at Monza as Charles Leclerc pulled off a terrific one-stop strategy to come home on degraded tyres. Both McLarens achieved a podium as well as Verstappen settled for P6, behind Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton.
Midfield is something Max Verstappen is not comfortable with as he has been riding high at the front for over two years now. He won 17 races last year but now, it appears Red Bull might not taste victory again for the remainder of the season. Amid this, Max’s frustration was palpable when he called out his team’s lack of urgency at Monza.
Max Verstappen Explains His ‘Please Be Awake’ Radio Message
The 2024 Monza Grand Prix was a painful experience for three-time world champion Max Verstappen as he came home P6, nowhere close to the podium. While Max was hustling to defend Lando Norris, his strange radio message caught the fan’s attention. He lambasted Red Bull and asked them to be awake. While his position was unlikely to improve, Verstappen insisted on radio that the race was still important to him. Meanwhile, in a post-race interview, Verstappen opened up on the events leading up to the radio outrage. Apparently, Max changed his settings while defending Norris, as his battery was depleting. But once Lando passed him, the Dutch driver wanted to go back to quicker settings.
However, Max Verstappen had to ask for the setting change while he believed it was the team’s responsibility to guide him without asking, as they had the data in front of them on the monitor. On top of that, Red Bull’s lousy response irked Max as he called out Red Bull’s laid-back attitude. “We might be in no man’s land, but you still have to be on top of things. Otherwise, I can just stay home,” Verstappen said. Notably, the Dutchman’s frustration is understandable as his lead in the driver’s championship is under serious threat. With Lando Norris trailing 62 points, a couple of bad races could turn the tables drastically for Red Bull. While Red Bull might not be able to save the constructors championship, the least they can do is help Max Verstappen defend his title. But with this attitude, Max is in for disappointment in the upcoming few races.
Verstappen Losing Hope On 4th Championship
Meanwhile, following another brutal defeat in Monza, Max Verstappen revealed that achieving both championships appear an unrealistic goal for him and Red Bull. The lead is diminishing with each race and if not for McLaren’s own sabotages, the Papaya team would have closed down the gap already. However, a ray of hope perhaps exsists.
Red Bull senior advisor Helmut Marko claimed that Max Verstappen has identified his RB20’s weakness, and the engineers have been briefed on the feedback. “Together with the engineers, a decision has been made on how to improve the car and make it competitive again,” Marko said. Overall, Marko is confident that there will be a turnaround in the next few weeks.
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