Max Verstappen revealed to his father, Jos Verstappen, that Red Bull’s speed during the Austrian Grand Prix was “just not good enough.” The setback occurred after Verstappen became entangled in yellow flags caused by Pierre Gasly’s spin, which compromised his final qualifying lap and left him seventh on the starting grid. His race ended abruptly on the first lap after a collision with Mercedes driver Kimi Antonelli.
Impact of yellow flags on Verstappen’s qualifying performance
Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner believes that without the yellow flags, Verstappen could have secured a front-row starting position. Horner emphasized that Verstappen responded properly by slowing down, saying,
“He could see the yellow, so of course, he’s done the right thing. He’s reacted to the flag. It takes precedence to the dash.”
Horner added,
“It was a great shame. On the predicted time at that corner, he would have done a time that might have squeezed him on the front row. Certainly would have been third.”
Despite this, McLaren’s Lando Norris dominated qualifying and held off a strong challenge from teammate Oscar Piastri to win the Austrian Grand Prix.
However, Verstappen’s own admission to his father painted a less hopeful picture. Jos Verstappen, who was competing in the Ypres Rally and unable to attend the race, shared his conversation with Max, saying,
“I already heard it on the phone, he said: ‘Yeah, it’s just not good enough.’”
Analysis of Red Bull’s performance and rivals’ progress
Jos Verstappen noted that the different track conditions and limited grip in Austria contributed to Red Bull’s disappointing weekend, but he also highlighted advances made by other teams.
“Ferrari has brought a good update, we know that McLaren are always at the front,”
Jos observed, adding,
“Mercedes is kind of in between.”
Red Bull introduced a new floor edge on the RB21 at the Austrian GP, and initially, senior advisor Helmut Marko felt optimistic after Friday practice. Marko noted that Max was only three-tenths behind Norris at that stage, which he considered an unrepresentative gap.
“We believe it’s not three tenths. It’s less fuel corrected. But still, we are behind. That’s clear,”
he said.
“We are a bit nearer to McLaren, but still they are the favourites.”
Marko remained cautiously hopeful, stating,
“It’s not a big step, but the direction gives us hope.”
Jos Verstappen, by contrast, disagreed, arguing that Red Bull’s update had minimal impact:
“And I think the update that Red Bull brought doesn’t make that much of a difference.”
Concerns raised by Yuki Tsunoda’s struggles
Jos Verstappen pointed to Yuki Tsunoda’s repeated failure to progress beyond Q1 as evidence of Red Bull’s broader pace issues.
“You can see it in Tsunoda, too; he doesn’t even reach Q2,”
Jos remarked.
“So yeah, the speed has fallen from there.”
Race day collision worsens Verstappen’s championship challenge
The race itself was another disappointment for Verstappen as he became an innocent victim in a crash caused by Antonelli at Turn 3, ending his race on the opening lap. With the Austrian GP concluded, Verstappen trails championship leader Oscar Piastri by 61 points, a significant gap that raises doubts about his chances of securing a fifth consecutive title.
Jos warned of the mounting challenges, implied by the widening points deficit and Red Bull’s current performance struggles, underscoring a difficult path ahead for Verstappen and his team.
