Max Verstappen has no illusions about the current situation at Red Bull. After a difficult weekend at Zandvoort, the Dutchman believes that his team is now the fourth force on the grid and must accept this reality.
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Max Verstappen’s last Dutch Grand Prix ended much earlier than expected. Sick throughout the weekend, the Red Bull driver also faced great difficulties behind the wheel of an RB22 unable to compete with the best cars at Zandvoort.
Sixth in the Sprint and only seventh in qualifying, the four-time world champion ultimately retired on the first lap of the race. On a still wet track in the last corner, Verstappen accelerated too early and lost control of his car before crashing violently into the barriers.
Unharmed after this spectacular accident, the Dutchman now wants to take advantage of the break before Monza to fully recover.
“I don’t feel well, so I’m just looking forward to this week off to be able to recover, because I really haven’t felt well.”
Verstappen wants to recover before Monza
Verstappen had already revealed on Saturday that he was suffering from flu-like symptoms. While he assured that his health condition did not prevent him from driving normally, he admitted to lacking energy outside the car.
His early retirement at Zandvoort will at least allow him to benefit from a full week to recover before the Italian Grand Prix.
But beyond his physical condition, the Dutch weekend mainly confirmed Red Bull’s current limits.
The team hoped to take advantage of Zandvoort’s particular characteristics to get closer to its rivals. This was not the case, with Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari all showing more performance.
“This season, we are the fourth team”
Verstappen refuses, however, to present the Zandvoort result as a real surprise. According to him, the hierarchy is now clear enough for Red Bull to know exactly where it stands.
“I would like to achieve more, but you have to be realistic. This season, we are the fourth fastest team.”
The Dutchman therefore believes it was illusory to hope for a sudden transformation of the RB22 simply because he was racing at his home Grand Prix.
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“It’s not like we can arrive at Zandvoort and suddenly do magical things. That’s how it is.”
A particularly clear-headed analysis while Red Bull had dominated Formula 1 for several seasons before gradually losing its advantage.
Red Bull pays for its delay in developments
Verstappen also points to an element that may explain the current gap. Several competitors have continued to develop their cars, while Red Bull has not introduced comparable updates recently.
“Other teams have brought developments, we haven’t. When you are already behind, it puts you in even more difficulty.”
At Zandvoort, McLaren confirmed its progress with Lando Norris’s victory, while Mercedes placed Kimi Antonelli and George Russell on the podium. Ferrari also outpaced Red Bull in pure pace.
Even Liam Lawson, called to replace Isack Hadjar, could do no better than seventh place despite a convincing performance for his return behind the wheel of the Red Bull.
A situation that is “nothing surprising”
Verstappen therefore does not look for excuses after this particularly difficult weekend. For the four-time world champion, the results simply correspond to the current performance level of the car.
“There is nothing surprising. It’s simply the reality we live in.”
The observation comes just days after the extension of his contract with Red Bull until the end of the 2030 season. Verstappen thus reaffirmed his confidence in the long-term project, but the Milton Keynes team must now provide him with a car capable of returning to the front.
The next meeting at Monza will be a new test. After acknowledging that Zandvoort did not particularly suit the RB22, Verstappen hopes that the Italian track will allow Red Bull to show a more competitive face.
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