Max Verstappen and Red Bull face mounting difficulties with the RB20 as they struggle to pinpoint the issues making the car increasingly difficult to drive. The team’s performance now hangs in the balance.
For the first time since Zandvoort returned to the Formula 1 calendar in 2021, Max Verstappen failed to secure a victory at his home race and was decisively beaten by Lando Norris this weekend.
The Red Bull appeared particularly difficult to drive in the Netherlands, but as the three-time world champion reminded, this issue isn’t new.
“The whole weekend played out the same way. I had roughly the same balance from the first practice session through to the race. The limitations are the same. So yes, it’s very difficult to solve at the moment. Yes, we seem to be too slow. It’s a bit strange because I think we’ve been quite strong in this area in recent years. So something’s not right with the car lately; we need to figure out what it is and try to improve quickly.”
It’s essentially a balance issue that seems to be affecting the RB20 recently, and Verstappen confirms that this problem wasn’t present at the start of the season.
“The problem wasn’t there during the early races. Something in the car has made it more difficult to drive. And it’s very hard to determine where it’s coming from at the moment. And yes, it’s obviously hurting our performance, not just on a single lap, but also over the course of a race.”
Although the Dutch driver was beaten by Norris, he did manage to get ahead of his rival at the start, passing him before the first corner. The right side of the track seemed to offer better grip, as George Russell and Charles Leclerc also gained positions from that side, but the Red Bull driver doesn’t necessarily believe that’s why he overtook the McLaren.
“I don’t think that’s the case. The start went well. I did have a bit of wheelspin. But I think Checo also got a good start from the left side. So I think we worked well as a team. And we’ve done well in most races this year. But it’s also a bit harder to predict because it rained several times this weekend, which means the grip levels weren’t really consistent. So sometimes, yes, it’s a bit random.”
Once in the lead, however, Verstappen admits he couldn’t do anything to prevent Norris from overtaking him and pulling away.
“I was running my own race, managing the tires, trying to do the best I could. But yes, at a certain point, nothing was working or responding anymore. Lando closed in the first time, he was close but not enough. And the next lap, there was nothing I could do. Once he got past, I focused on my race and aimed to finish in second place.”
Verstappen doesn’t want to “panic” as the championships tighten.
The Red Bull RB20 has shown clear weaknesses lately, but is the championship leader still confident for the upcoming Monza race this weekend?
“I don’t know. I mean, we just need to fix our balance issues. I think that will already help us a lot, including with speed. Of course, at Monza, many things are new. You know, the tarmac, the curbs, even the layout of turns 1 and 2. So we need to understand a bit more. But yes, we know we have a lot of work to do.”
Advisor Helmut Marko didn’t hide his concern after the race, stating that Red Bull must quickly get back on track or risk losing both championships. Does Verstappen share this view despite his 70-point lead in the drivers’ standings?
“The weekend was bad overall. We need to understand that. But the last few races haven’t been fantastic either. So, in a way, it was already a bit alarming. But we know not to panic. We’re simply trying to improve the situation. And that’s what we’re working on. But F1 is very complicated.”
It’s now five Grands Prix without a win for Max Verstappen, a streak he hasn’t experienced since the 2020 season. But again, he isn’t drawing overly negative conclusions from it.
“It happens, doesn’t it? I’ve had a lot of good years. Some people never win a race in their career, you know, so you can also see it that way. On my side, yes, we don’t have the fastest car right now. We have a few issues to solve, and we’re working on them. That’s all I can say about it. You know, we’re very focused on that. There are still a lot of races left, a lot of different tracks. This weekend wasn’t our best.”
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Verstappen : Red Bull struggle to ‘identify the issue’ with the RB20 Verstappen : Red Bull struggle to ‘identify the issue’ with the RB20
