It is usually Red Bull against the world. Max Verstappen the mercurially talented and direct driver, and his team of engineers, who see a softer side of the three-times world champion and feel he is often misunderstood.
On Sunday at the Hungarian Grand Prix, however, even they were the target of his ire — although it would be easier to list who wasn’t. Verstappen turned the airwaves blue in his communications with his race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase, a key ally and friend, as his frustration grew at the strategy that left him stuck behind Lewis Hamilton, with whom he later collided.
His anger had not abated by the time he stepped out of the cockpit, telling his critics they “can all “f*** off”, and then adding: “I don’t think we need to apologise. We just need to do a better job.”
Verstappen is understood to have been frustrated at not only the strategy but also the communication, when Red Bull elected to enable Lewis Hamilton and later Charles Leclerc to undercut him. He also felt the comments from Lambiase, including complaining he had driven too fast as the tyres got up to temperature, were “stupid”.
Verstappen had been awake until 3.20am in the early hours of Sunday, having taken part in a three-hour stint in a 24-hour team sim race at the virtual Spa-Francorchamps circuit.
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This is not an uncommon routine for Verstappen, who did a similar thing before winning in Imola in May. He argues that it is no different from drivers going out for meals or in the case of Lando Norris before the Imola race, staying up to watch the Tyson Fury-Oleksandr Usyk fight.
It is his way to switch off and relax, although it is surely not the optimal way of doing so, particularly when his competitors are so much closer than they have been in the past two seasons.
Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, said he trusted his driver’s judgment, but repeatedly said that discussions would be held privately about how the race unfolded and the various issues around it.
The main problem at Red Bull is the temperamental nature of the car. When it is reliable, it remains the quickest on the grid, but at times they have struggled.
During the race at the Hungaroring, Verstappen was unable to make the changes he wanted to prevent understeer, because of the implications that would have had on the balance of the rest of the car.
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“Our window seems to be very peaky, and that’s what is making it difficult for the engineers and difficult for the drivers — we have to take the balance of the car and make that window broader,” Horner said.
Red Bull have dominated the sport in recent years but their lead over McLaren in the constructors’ standings is only 51 points, while Norris has reduced Verstappen’s advantage in the drivers’ championship to 76 points with 11 races left. Last season, Red Bull ended up 451 points clear of the field and Verstappen was 290 ahead of his nearest challenger, his team-mate Sergio Pérez.
“I’ve been in this business for 20 years, that [the field converging] is what happens,” Horner added. “It doesn’t mean you accept it, you’ve just got to work harder to find the incremental gains and execute good races and be on the top of your game. We know we need to improve in the second half of the year.”
When asked if he felt everyone within the team had fully grasped the reality of the situation — the possibility of losing the championship — Verstappen, winner of the past three world titles, said: “At least with me, they know that I don’t make excuses. I’m always very real about that. But maybe not everyone is on the same wavelength.
“That doesn’t frustrate me, but I do think some people need to wake up a little bit. We don’t need to go into details about who those are.”
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Those at the Red Bull factory have clearly recognised the urgency for improvement, with the sizeable upgrade brought to Verstappen’s car in Hungary coming ahead of schedule — the package was not expected to be ready until after the summer break between July 29 and August 23.
There has also been notable effort made to calm tensions behind the scenes, with Oliver Mintzlaff, the Red Bull Austria managing director, keen to create a peaceful environment. Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, was refusing to speak to Horner in Austria but did so in Hungary. Mintzlaff, Helmut Marko, the Red Bull senior adviser, and Chalerm Yoovidhya, the Thai shareholder, had lunch together before the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Throughout the season, Verstappen has used the cockpit as an escape from the speculation about Horner’s future or the feud between his boss and his father. In the midst of the title race, where even that is not going smoothly, it is little wonder his temper is frayed.
Red Bull’s early-season form means they have carried significant momentum into the European season, with Verstappen having already won seven races. As Norris pointed out, Hungary was only McLaren’s second victory of the season — a first for Oscar Piastri — the same number as Mercedes and Ferrari have achieved, and those teams are nowhere near the title race.
The seven points Norris lost from finishing second rather than first in Hungary could be the difference at the end of the season.
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“I know a lot of people are going to say the gap between me and Max is pretty big, but if Red Bull and Max make the mistakes like they did today, and continue to do that, and as a team we continue to improve and have weekends like we’ve had this weekend, we can turn it around,” Norris said.
“It’s still optimistic. It’s still a big goal to say we can close 70 points. When you’re thinking of the seven points that I gave away, it crosses your mind, for sure. So, it was not easy.”
The support of Piastri will be crucial if McLaren are to overhaul the reigning world champion. Verstappen has enough of a buffer to afford a few lower finishes, even if Norris starts to win consistently. If the Australian can consistently beat the Dutch driver too, however, the title race really could be on.
