Max Verstappen is undoubtedly feeling the heat, both on and off the track. With no wins in the last three Grand Prix races, the Hungarian Grand Prix turned into a boiling point for the world champion.
The race weekend was off to an intense start as Verstappen got outqualified by both McLaren drivers. Despite Red Bull’s upgrades narrowing the gap to the pole time to just under five-hundredths of a second, Verstappen’s frustration only grew. At the race’s start, he made a daring move around turn one to overtake Lando Norris, who was slow off the line due to a glitch. However, this aggressive move did not come without controversy.
Verstappen’s race engineer advised him to give the place back to Norris as the stewards were probing whether he had gained an unfair advantage by leaving the track. This advice didn’t sit well with Max, who argued incoherently. He believed Norris had driven him off the track. Over the team radio, he declared, “Then you can tell the FIA that’s how we’re going to race from now onwards. Just driving people off the road.”
The day went from bad to worse. Verstappen’s frustration boiled over as he accused his team of poor strategy decisions, particularly when Lewis Hamilton got ahead of him. “It’s quite impressive how we managed to get undercut. It completely f—ed my race,” Max vented over the radio. When prompted to pick up the pace, he retorted, “No mate, don’t give me that s— now. You guys gave me this s— strategy, O.K.? I’m trying to rescue what’s left.”
In the final laps, Verstappen blew his best chance to pass Hamilton and collided with him at turn one. He immediately accused Hamilton of moving under braking, but his engineer dismissed the complaints as “childish.” Team boss Christian Horner later defended the engineer, saying he was referring to others on the radio and not Max himself.
Christian Horner had described Verstappen and his race engineer Lambiase as an “old married couple” thanks to their fiery exchanges. However, this latest spat was more intense than usual. Lambiase had previously expressed concerns on a podcast about how Max would handle increased competition, noting, “You see how he’s treating me at the moment and he’s winning every race. I’m really not looking forward to it.”
Max defended the fiery exchanges, emphasizing the importance of respect. “People sometimes don’t understand what kind of relationship we have,” he said. “If we sound upset or angry, they think we are in a fight but that’s not the case. We just want the best out there. But of course, respect is very important.”
Even Sky F1’s Naomi Schiff weighed in, labeling Verstappen’s attitude as “disrespectful.” She critiqued his comments about those who disapproved of his messages. Verstappen had bluntly stated that anyone unhappy with his radio chatter should “go home” and “f— off.” Schiff pointed out, “There’s no ‘I’ in team. While he is their top driver, he’s got to remember that there are loads of people working behind him.”
Heading into the Belgium Grand Prix, Verstappen faces a challenging road. He hasn’t won since Barcelona, and McLaren now seems to have an edge over Red Bull. Max has already used up several of his car’s components, putting him on the brink of needing new parts beyond the FIA’s allowance for the season.
Max Verstappen is in for an intense battle as the Formula One season progresses. While his on-track performance remains exceptionally high, the cracks in his relationships with his team could become a larger issue. The upcoming races will be crucial for him to regain not just his winning form, but also the respect of his team.
