Max Verstappen Issues Stern Warning to Red Bull: “We Need More Performance”
Formula 1 News: After being pipped to pole for the Spanish Grand Prix by McLaren’s Lando Norris, Max Verstappen has sent a stark message to his Red Bull team, urging them to bring more performance to their car.
The reigning world champion was narrowly beaten by Norris, with a mere 0.020s separating the two drivers. This comes as a surprise, given Red Bull’s dominant form heading into Barcelona. Verstappen believes his team needs to step up its game to stay competitive.
“I have been saying for weeks that we need to bring more performance to our car, and everyone in the team knows that as well,” Verstappen emphasized. “So far, it looks like everyone around us is bringing more updates than we do. Of course, we have to work on that, we need to find more performance for our own car as well.”
Verstappen has been compensating for Red Bull’s declining competitiveness with his driving skills, but he knows this can’t continue indefinitely.
“That’s fine too, and that’s what I’m paid for, but at the end of the day, we have to find more performance to win the championship again. If you have to drive at 101% every single time, then of course it will go wrong one day.”
When questioned about Mercedes’ suggestion that Red Bull’s latest upgrades might have been a downgrade instead, Verstappen was adamant in his response.
“No, that’s bullshit. We are improving the car, of course, but maybe not enough compared to the rest at the moment. Everyone around us is just making slightly bigger steps than us.”
Looking ahead to the Spanish Grand Prix, Verstappen expressed his concerns about McLaren’s race pace.
“Looking at Friday, I thought McLaren looked very strong. They are just good everywhere now. On every type of track, in the long runs, and they handle the tyres well too. They just built a strong package.”
With multiple teams vying for the top spot, Verstappen believes it will all come down to the details.
“If you can look after your tyres, then you can make some good progress.”
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