BREAKING NEWS: Max Verstappen’s Father, Jos Verstappen sets alarm bells ringing over ‘serious…’ at Red Bull. Read More
Max Verstappen’s Father, Jos Verstappen sets alarm bells ringing over ‘serious…’ at Red Bull. Read More
Jos Verstappen, the father of reigning Formula 1 champion Max Verstappen, has voiced serious concerns about the state of Red Bull Racing following a series of disappointing performances and the departure of the team’s legendary design chief, Adrian Newey. Red Bull, who have dominated the sport in recent years, now find themselves struggling to match the pace of rivals like McLaren. Jos Verstappen’s remarks come after Lando Norris of McLaren won the Dutch Grand Prix with a commanding 22-second lead over his competitors, further highlighting Red Bull’s current struggles.
Speaking to the German publication Bild, Jos Verstappen did not hold back in his criticism of Red Bull and its leadership, particularly team principal Christian Horner. “You can’t sugarcoat it anymore, the situation is serious,” Jos warned. He emphasized that his son, Max, is unlikely to remain satisfied with a car that is no longer competitive. The elder Verstappen believes that it is now Horner’s responsibility to correct the team’s course and restore their former dominance.
Red Bull’s struggles have been evident in recent races, with the team failing to secure a single victory in the last five Grands Prix. In response, the team opted to revert to using older parts of their car that had been successful earlier in the season. However, this decision has not yielded the desired results, and Jos Verstappen expressed his frustration, calling the move misguided. “More than 20 seconds is a very big disappointment. Max never had a chance to win,” he said, reflecting on the recent performance gap between Red Bull and McLaren. “But that’s not surprising when you reverse-engineer the car.”
For Jos, Red Bull’s problems run deeper than just their recent on-track struggles. He expressed concern about the internal state of the team, suggesting that the organization has made several wrong decisions over the course of the season. “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,” he advised. According to him, the departure of key figures like Adrian Newey is a worrying sign, and he is not optimistic about Red Bull’s ability to recover without significant changes. “The good people are leaving the team. I’m very unhappy with what’s happening,” he added.
Adrian Newey, widely regarded as one of the greatest minds in Formula 1, has been a critical figure in Red Bull’s success. His departure is expected to have a significant impact on the team, and Jos Verstappen expressed doubts about Christian Horner’s ability to steer the team back to winning ways without Newey’s expertise. “I’ll be surprised, but at the moment I’m saying no,” Jos remarked when asked if he believed Horner could turn the team’s fortunes around. “A lot has to happen. The whole spirit has to change.”
Red Bull’s next opportunity to prove Jos Verstappen wrong will come at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza, where the team secured a one-two finish last year. However, with McLaren and Norris closing the gap in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships, Red Bull will need to address their current issues quickly if they hope to fend off the growing challenge from their rivals. Norris, now only 70 points behind Max Verstappen in the drivers’ standings, and McLaren, just 30 points behind Red Bull in the constructors’ championship, are emerging as serious threats to Red Bull’s dominance this season.
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