Jos Verstappen, the father of reigning Formula One champion Max Verstappen, has publicly criticized Red Bull and urged the team to refocus on racing. His comments come amid concerns that Red Bull’s dominance in F1 may be waning, as evidenced by recent performances.
In recent years, Red Bull’s dominance in Formula One has been unquestioned, clinching back-to-back Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in 2022 and 2023. However, recent events suggest their grip on the sport may be weakening.
Last weekend’s Monaco Grand Prix, notoriously unpredictable and reliant on strong qualifying, exposed potential cracks in Red Bull’s previously invincible setup. Max Verstappen struggled for pace, securing a disappointing sixth place in qualifying and maintaining that position throughout the race. His teammate, Sergio Perez, had an even worse outing, qualifying 18th and crashing on the opening lap. These setbacks have dramatically reduced Verstappen’s lead in the championship to a slim 31 points.
Jos Verstappen voiced his concerns in an interview with Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, stating, ‘The time when Red Bull had the dominant car really seems to be over now. Maybe they should concentrate a little bit more on racing and communicating with each other instead of other things.’
Red Bull’s troubles in Monaco were largely attributed to the RB20’s suspension, which struggled on the street circuit’s kerbs. Max Verstappen explained, ‘It’s like I’m driving without suspension. The car is bouncing around a lot, not absorbing kerbs, bumps or camber changes. In the last corner, the number of times I almost hit the wall is unbelievable. We’ve been having this problem since 2022. For the last two years, our car advantage has masked it. But now that everyone is catching up, our weaknesses are being exposed.’
Verstappen described the issue as a ‘fundamental problem’ that ‘can’t be fixed in weeks.’ When asked if it could be resolved this season, he was uncertain. ‘First of all, we need to understand what it is, and we don’t know. We’ll work hard to identify the problem and try to fix it, but I don’t know if we can do it this year or if we have to wait for next year. If we knew, we would have fixed it by now. Obviously, we don’t.’
Monaco marked Red Bull’s third consecutive difficult weekend, with each plagued by different issues. Verstappen explained, ‘Probably in Miami we didn’t get the balance right and maybe the tyres. At Imola we managed to turn things around, but we weren’t on top of the tyres, especially the hard ones. Overall, our performance was OK, but I knew Monaco would be one of our toughest weekends with everyone catching up.’
Jos Verstappen emphasized the urgency for Red Bull to address these problems to avoid further defeats from rivals like Ferrari and McLaren. ‘There will definitely be races where Red Bull will be in good shape again, but I am very curious to see how they are going to solve this. Something really has to happen. Red Bull needs to find out where this problem is coming from because it is clear that teams like Ferrari and McLaren are getting closer. Max has been able to hide it a little bit, but the big difference with Sergio Perez is becoming more and more obvious.’
The next few races will be crucial for Red Bull as they attempt to regain their championship footing. The team’s ability to identify and rectify the RB20’s issues will determine if they can stay on top or fall prey to the competition.
It’s clear that Red Bull faces significant challenges that must be addressed swiftly. Jos Verstappen’s call for the team to refocus on core racing elements underlines the urgency of the situation.
