F1 News: Max Verstappen Warns Red Bull After RB20 Upgrades 'Not Good Enough' - 'Need To Wake Up'

Saajan Jogia | Jul 21, 2024

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing prepares to drive in the garage during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Monaco at Circuit de Monaco on May 24, 2024 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco. / Photo by Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has warned his team about the current scenario after McLaren locked the front row in qualifying, urging it to wake up to this reality. He also expressed frustration over the highly anticipated RB20 upgrade package for the Hungarian GP, describing it as "not good enough."

The Dutchman enjoyed a dominant start to the season, but as rival teams such as McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes closed the gap, the competition at the front of the grid intensified. Although Verstappen has secured 7 wins out of 13 races thus far, this marks a notable drop in his winning ratio compared to his 19 victories out of 22 races in 2023.

While the situation can be quite alarming for a team dominating most races of the ground effect era that began in 2022, Verstappen thinks otherwise. When asked if everyone in Red Bull understood the implications of the current scenario, he told the media:

"Not everyone.

"At least with me they know that I don't make excuses, I'm always very real about that. But maybe not everyone is on the same wavelength. 

"That doesn't frustrate me, but I do think some people need to wake up a little bit. We don't need to go into details about who those are."

The three-time world champion revealed that the significant upgrade introduced to his car, which Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko claimed would help gain crucial tenths, is simply not good enough to maintain a dominant lead in races. He added:

"The McLarens are one and two, so that car just goes like a bullet.

"With us it's just very difficult, because it's just really hard to find a good balance. It's very easy to go over and then you immediately lose quite a lot of time.

"With all those upgrades, it's still not good enough. I do feel frustrated about that.

"Because I had hoped it would have brought a bit more. Everything is working, but not the steps we want to make, I think... I said on Friday that it wasn't optimal."