Marko worries, Verstappen stays focused

As Formula 1 is in Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix this weekend, Max Verstappen once again finds himself at the center of questions. Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s sporting advisor, has expressed his concerns about the future of the four-time world champion with the team. These statements contrast with the calm displayed by the Dutch driver in Jeddah.

Helmut Marko’s concerns

Marko’s concerns follow the Bahrain Grand Prix, where Verstappen could do no better than sixth place, well below expectations. Following this underperformance of the RB21, Marko had stated to Sky Sports Germany: “The concern is great. As I said, improvements must come quickly so that he has a car with which he can win again. We need to lay the groundwork with a car that allows him to fight for the world championship.” Indeed, Marko openly acknowledges the RB21’s lack of competitiveness and hopes that new parts expected for the upcoming races will translate into performance gains.

Despite a contract that ties him to Red Bull until 2028, rumors of performance clauses have been mentioned by Red Bull’s own sporting advisor in an interview with the BBC. These clauses could theoretically allow Verstappen to leave the team if certain objectives are not met. “All the best drivers have performance clauses in their contracts,” he had said. A situation that fuels speculation about a possible departure, especially since he described the performance in Bahrain as “very concerning.”

The drop in pace of Red Bull is particularly striking compared to the overwhelming dominance the team has demonstrated in recent years. The Austrian team is already 80 points behind McLaren in the constructors’ championship after only four races.

Verstappen remains focused

At a press conference in Jeddah on Thursday, Verstappen remained unfazed by these assumptions: « A lot of people are talking about it, except for me. As I said before, I just want to focus on my car and work with the team. That’s the only thing I’m thinking about in Formula 1 right now. I’m very relaxed. », he stated.

When specifically asked about Marko’s comments, the Dutchman sidestepped: « I don’t know, to be honest. I just keep working, trying to improve the car. Naturally, Bahrain wasn’t a good weekend for us. I think we were all quite disappointed. We just keep looking for solutions, finding new ideas to try on the car. The competition is tough. That’s how I handle my weeks, by trying to improve the situation. »

The Dutch driver insists particularly on his desire to focus on improving the RB21, whose problems were glaring in Bahrain: “We are bad at tire management at the moment. The balance is not where I want it to be, and on a circuit like this, it becomes immediately apparent, that’s for sure,” he admitted.

A tense situation behind the scenes

The atmosphere within the team also seems tense. After the Bahrain Grand Prix, Raymond Vermeulen, Verstappen’s manager, was seen having an animated discussion with Helmut Marko in the team garage. When questioned about this incident, Verstappen downplayed it: “To my knowledge, they were simply discussing everything and nothing, which seems perfectly allowed to me. […] In the end, we are all concerned. We care about the team and the results. I think that’s perfectly normal.”

The Dutch driver then specified that the entire team was frustrated by the result and the incidents that occurred during the race. It was in this context that his manager Raymond and Helmut were discussing, and were later joined by Christian Horner. For him, it was simply a normal conversation in these circumstances.

Verstappen specifically explained that they had very constructive exchanges with the teams working on the car and insisted that they were all on the same page and collectively seeking to improve the current situation without changing their approach.

Hope for Improvement in Jeddah

Verstappen extensively discussed the technical difficulties of the RB21: “We struggled a bit with the balance. The car’s behavior from the entry to the middle of the corner is not what I want. So, we will try to fix that and improve it. I don’t know to what extent we can address it here, but I hope the track surface will help us a little,” he acknowledged.

Indeed, the Jeddah circuit, particularly its high-speed sections and asphalt, might better suit the qualities of the Red Bull: « I hope it will be a little better than in Bahrain. There are a few more fast corners, a different asphalt. I hope we can be a bit more competitive, and perhaps somewhere between the two races, potentially. », he said.

Last year, the four-time world champion dominated the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix with a 27-second lead over his closest pursuer. Such a performance seems out of reach today, but the Dutch driver remains focused on the gradual improvement of his car.

An open championship

With an eight-point gap to Lando Norris, Verstappen maintains a pragmatic mindset: « I’m not thinking about the championship. I take the races one by one. As I said, I hope it will be better than in Bahrain. If we can find ourselves somewhere in between, I think we can already be satisfied, and then we’ll move on. »

However, he reminded that the championship is just beginning and everything can still change: « At the moment, we are not the fastest. So, naturally, it’s very difficult to fight for a championship. But the road is still long. I mean, at the same time last year, around the fifth race, everything seemed to be going well and we all know how the season ended. »

For now, the situation is far from catastrophic for Verstappen and Red Bull despite the difficulties encountered at the start of the season. It remains to be seen if the improvements promised by the Austrian team will be enough to allow them to reach the level of McLaren and Mercedes.