Verstappen Shines Pérez's Future at Red Bull Uncertain

Verstappen stars as Pérez faces a tough race, sparking speculation about his Red Bull future.

Max Verstappen expressed satisfaction with his fifth-place finish after starting 11th at the Belgian Grand Prix. The Red Bull driver praised the performance of his car and believed he had maximized its potential.

“The race itself wasn’t too bad. It was just too difficult to overtake. In the first stint, we aimed to avoid any pitfalls in the early laps, but ended up stuck in the DRS train, where we remained,” Verstappen noted, acknowledging that a repeat of his victories in 2022 and 2023 was unrealistic from such a starting position.

“We attempted an undercut which worked well, but with the cars being so closely matched in performance, overtaking was challenging. From 11th on the grid, we did a solid job. For the championship, it was a good day.”

“We always want more, but given the pace in the recent races, it’s unrealistic to think we could start 11th and push to the front. Those days are behind us. However, there are many areas to improve before heading to Zandvoort.”

The championship remains comfortable for him as the winning teams vary: “Fortunately, it’s a bit of a change. It’s not just one team taking points away from us, but we know we have work to do, we want to do better, and we’ll see what we can achieve.”

Sergio Pérez was highly disappointed to finish eighth after starting on the front row: “It was very bad, a poor race for us. It started well in the first stint, but the second stint on the medium tires was challenging.”

“It hurt us; I had to push and the degradation was high. We had to cut the stint very short, which compromised my race as we lacked pace.”

When questioned about his future following a disappointing race, he deflected: “I’ve said it before, I don’t think I will respond to further speculation about my future.”

“I’m here, fully committed to the team, and we know we have a lot to focus on for the second half of the season. I’m tired of these speculations, I’ve said what I needed to say, and it’s the right time to take a break, regroup with the team, and restart.”