Christian Horner has opened up on the complaints that Max Verstappen has raised at Red Bull this year as he admits the Formula 1 team have fallen into ‘troubled waters’.
The Milton Keynes outfit were an almost all-conquering force last season as Red Bull won 21 of the 22 Grand Prix. Verstappen even gifted Red Bull 19 of their victories en route to sealing his third consecutive drivers’ title. But their domination has diminished somewhat this term.
Verstappen burst out of the gates to win four of the first five Grand Prix plus the F1 Sprint at the Chinese GP. The 26-year-old possibly only failed to also add the Australian GP to his tally as Ferrari driver Carlos Sainz won after a brake issue forced the Dutchman to retire on Lap 3.
Christian Horner admits Max Verstappen is revealing how Red Bull ‘feels’
Yet since topping both podiums in Shanghai, Verstappen has only won the Emilia Romagna GP and the Canadian GP. He also won the Sprint at the Miami GP but Lando Norris achieved his first Grand Prix victory after the McLaren driver ran clear of Verstappen after a safety car.
Norris also came within 0.725 seconds of Verstappen to win at Imola and also threatened to win the Canadian GP. George Russell of Mercedes was also in the mix for victory in Montreal last time out. While Verstappen’s P6 was the best that Red Bull managed in the Monaco GP.
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Difficulties riding the kerbs around the Circuit de Monte Carlo meant Red Bull could not rival McLaren and Ferrari. Verstappen was not shy to raise his concerns at the Monaco GP, either. The Dutchman bemoaned how it was ‘very difficult’ to get the RB20 to do as he best sought.
Verstappen feared Red Bull’s woes with riding the kerbs would continue at the Canadian GP, as well. But team principal Horner takes no issue with Verstappen voicing his concerns with Red Bull’s performances. Instead, he admits the 26-year-old is revealing how the team feels.
“During the course of a world championship, sometimes you get into troubled waters,” said Horner, via quotes by Speedweek. “And Max is a demanding customer, like everyone else in the team. So, he only says what the team feels. Everyone strives for top performance.”
The Spanish GP will prove if Red Bull are truly in ‘troubled waters’
Horner will hope the Spanish GP next Sunday sees Red Bull and Verstappen enjoy a cleaner weekend. McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes have all shown they can challenge the RB20 with the right track. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is also a mixture of every track F1 visits.
The removal of the flip-chicane to finish a lap in 2021 will help Red Bull avoid the issues the team faced with riding kerbs in Monaco or Montreal. But Barcelona will prove if Mercedes are now a genuine threat to Red Bull with the circuit’s greater mixture of corner speed ranges.
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