Verstappen Frustrated by Red Bull's Oversight

Max Verstappen calls on Red Bull to enhance race-day vigilance after a disorganized Italian GP.

Max Verstappen asked Red Bull to be more vigilant during races after the team failed to keep him informed during the Italian Grand Prix. The Milton Keynes-based team faced a challenging Grand Prix, with the Dutchman and Sergio Perez finishing sixth and eighth respectively at Monza.

The three-time world champion expressed his struggles with the RB20, calling it a “monster” and even stating that winning the drivers’ title was “unrealistic” at this stage, despite having a 62-point lead over Lando Norris.

With Red Bull mired in poor form, the team executed a slow pit stop, taking 6.2 seconds for Verstappen’s car, highlighting the unusual poor performance of the reigning constructors’ champions that marred his Italian Grand Prix.

Furthermore, a telling radio message from the 26-year-old driver to race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was broadcast after another team error.

“Can the people in the background please wake up? I know it’s a shitty position, but it’s important,” Verstappen complained.

Asked about this after the checkered flag, Verstappen said it was due to a lack of cockpit management from the team, after key messages were not relayed to him in time.

“It was related to my battery percentage,” Verstappen explained. “There are certain levels you are at and certain modes you use, and basically, I see the battery filling up, and at some point, you might switch to a faster mode.”

“I therefore asked, and they replied, ‘Oh yes, you can.’ These are obvious things that need monitoring. I know I’m not racing anyone, but that shouldn’t matter—it’s still an F1 race where you need to maximize everything.”

Verstappen did not hesitate to express how poor the RB20 was over the weekend at Monza. After the Italian Grand Prix, he reiterated that the issues he faced were related to data correlation.

“You have the CFD data and the wind tunnel data, of course. But it’s not uncommon that when something isn’t working on the car, the simulation tools yield different results. And they don’t converge. You end up with three sets of data. The CFD, the wind tunnel, and the track.”

“Obviously, what really matters is the track data. But to develop it, it’s like having to tell the time with three different watches. You need to focus on the tool that will give you the most accurate data. And, of course, the track data is the most important.”

Christian Horner, however, pointed out that all this was due to the commitment of the reigning world champion: “What has really impressed me about Max is his involvement in this process. He doesn’t panic. He works with the engineers.”

“He explains very clearly where the problems are. He invests time and effort. He was there early on race morning. He participated in Zoom calls last week and he will be on the simulator before the next race. He’s really working hard. I think he’s shown great maturity as a world champion.”

“The way he works with the team of engineers. No one likes the situation we’re in right now. No one is satisfied. We have to work very hard to turn it around. But the one thing this team has is strength, depth, and tact. And we will be back.”