Jos Verstappen goes against Max's... as Red Bull and Christian Horner attacked...

Jos Verstappen goes against Max’s… as Red Bull and Christian Horner attacked… Read More

Jos Verstappen has raised concerns about Red Bull’s recent decline in performance, which has seen his son Max Verstappen struggle to maintain his dominance in the 2024 F1 season. Despite a strong start at the Dutch Grand Prix, Max Verstappen was outpaced by McLaren’s Lando Norris, who regained the lead and secured victory with a 22-second margin. This outcome has further reduced Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ standings to 70 points, with nine races remaining in the season.

Max Verstappen, who is pursuing his fourth consecutive world championship, has gone five races without a win. Despite the pressure, he has maintained a composed outlook, acknowledging that recent races have not been ideal but expressing confidence that Red Bull can recover. He emphasized the importance of not panicking and focusing on improvements. “I think this weekend was just a bad weekend in general, so we need to understand that,” he said. “The last few races already, they haven’t really been fantastic. So that, I think in a sense, was already a bit alarming. But we know that we don’t need to panic. We are just trying to improve the situation.”

However, Jos Verstappen’s concerns are much more pronounced. Speaking to German outlet Bild, Verstappen Snr urged Red Bull team principal Christian Horner to take immediate action to prevent Norris from further closing the gap in the championship race. He highlighted the severity of the situation, suggesting that Max would not be satisfied with the current state of the car. “You can’t sugarcoat it anymore, the situation is serious,” he said. “Max won’t be satisfied with having a car like that. Now it’s up to Horner to get the team back on track. More than 20 seconds is a very big disappointment. Max never had a chance to win.”

Jos Verstappen was also critical of some of Red Bull’s recent decisions, particularly the choice to reuse car parts that had already seen action earlier in the season. He argued that the underwhelming performance was a predictable outcome given the team’s strategy. Verstappen Snr also pointed to the departure of renowned engineer Adrian Newey as a significant loss for the team, suggesting that Red Bull’s struggles might be linked to internal issues and personnel changes. “The team took the wrong turn several times,” he added. “Internally, you should hold a mirror up to yourself and not always gloss over everything. It is time, if it is not already too late, to question ourselves. The good people are leaving the team. I’m very unhappy with what’s happening.”

This is not the first time Max Verstappen has been at odds with Horner’s leadership this season. Earlier in the year, Max publicly called for Horner to step down after the team principal was accused of inappropriate behavior toward a female Red Bull employee. Though Horner denied the allegations and was cleared following an internal investigation, the incident appears to have further strained the relationship between the Verstappens and the Red Bull leadership.

As Red Bull grapples with a dip in form, Jos Verstappen is skeptical about whether Horner is the right person to steer the team back to success. He hinted that significant changes are needed, saying, “I’ll be surprised, but at the moment I’m saying no. A lot has to happen. The whole spirit has to change.”