Despite a difficult start to the season and several technical incidents, Red Bull assures that Max Verstappen retains full confidence in the Austrian team’s project.
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After nine rounds, Max Verstappen is only in seventh place in the championship with 76 points, more than 100 points behind the leader Kimi Antonelli.
Between retirements, recurring engine problems, excessive tire degradation, and a particularly difficult-to-handle RB22, the four-time world champion is going through one of the most challenging periods of his recent career.
At Silverstone, the Dutchman did not hide his exasperation, mentioning a lack of power and an almost non-existent balance. The two rear wing failures observed during the last Grands Prix have also increased questions about his future.
Verstappen feels problems invisible to the team
In response to growing rumors, Red Bull’s technical director, Pierre Waché, wanted to clarify the situation.
According to him, Verstappen perceives certain imperfections in the car with exceptional sensitivity, far beyond what current simulation tools can measure.
“Max highlights problems that affect him more than we can imagine. In our simulations, some things don’t seem like big issues, but for him, they are.”
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Waché notably points out the difficulties Verstappen has had with the steering since the winter tests.
“He feels certain things through the steering wheel, but we are not able to detect them in the simulator, even though the car’s potential remains exactly the same.”
Confidence still intact
The difficulties encountered this season, combined with the performance clauses in Verstappen’s contract, have fueled speculation about a possible move to Mercedes or McLaren.
But for Waché, these rumors do not reflect the reality of the situation.
The French manager assures that Verstappen remains convinced that Red Bull is capable of finding the path to victory again.
“Max is not frustrated because he is not winning.”
According to him, the real issue lies elsewhere: “The most important thing is that he is convinced we can provide him with a car capable of winning. And that is indeed the case.”
Despite the difficulties faced since the start of the season, Red Bull continues to express confidence in its ability to turn the situation around and provide its star driver with a car capable of fighting for wins again.
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