Jos Verstappen has asserted that Red Bull must take “a good look in the mirror” amid the team’s latest loss to McLaren in last weekend’s Formula 1 Dutch Grand Prix.
Red Bull commenced the campaign appearing unstoppable once again as Max Verstappen headed three 1-2 race results with Sergio Perez in the opening five rounds.
However, Red Bull’s advantage has dissipated and Lando Norris capitalised on McLaren’s upgrades to record a crushing 22-second win over Verstappen on home soil.
McLaren’s supreme dominance at Zandvoort has triggered concerns inside the Red Bull camp that Verstappen’s comprehensive 70-point lead could still be eradicated.
Verstappen, who competed with an earlier-season spec floor, admitted post-race that Red Bull has taken a wrong step that has made the RB20 “more difficult to drive”.
“Something in the car has made it more difficult to drive. And it’s very hard to pinpoint where that is coming from at the moment,” Verstappen explained.
“That is then hurting, of course, our one-lap performance, but also our long run.”
Meanwhile, Verstappen Sr declared that the reigning champions reverting to previous components shows that it has become lost in the strive to understand its woes.
“Maybe I shouldn’t say it, but I’m doing it anyway,” he told De Telegraaf at Zandvoort.
“The fact that you have to go back to the car from the beginning of this year says enough.
“They just don’t have it right here at the moment. I think they should take a good look in the mirror.”
Verstappen Sr has been embroiled in an escalating quibble with Christian Horner since an investigation into the Red Bull boss’ conduct was conducted in pre-season.
The Dutchman argued that Horner’s continued presence at the helm would “tear apart” the team and senior personnel have since communicated planned departures.
According to his father, Verstappen, who hasn’t triumphed in the past five races, could also sense that sooner or later the competition was going to displace Red Bull.
“Max knew this was coming,” he added. “He just didn’t have a chance. This way it’s going to be really tough the rest of the year.
“Max is doing everything he can, but doesn’t have the material to finish it. It was already exceptional that he qualified second.”
But despite encountering his longest run without a single F1 win since 2020, Verstappen has remained more relaxed about the predicament Red Bull is experiencing.
“Yeah, I mean, that happens, right?” he remarked. “I mean, I’ve had a lot of good years.
“I mean, some people have never won a race in their career, you know, so you can also look at it like that.
“From my side, yeah, we at the moment don’t have the fastest car. We have some issues that we have to solve and we are working on that. That’s the only thing I can say about that.
“You know, we’re very focused on it. There’s still a lot of races left, a lot of different kind of tracks. This weekend was just not our best weekend.”
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