17:06 – Red Bull team boss Christian Horner says it is important that Max Verstappen quickly gets the frustration of the last races ‘out of his system’. The Dutchman had to deal with an engine-related problem at Mugello last Sunday for the second race in a row and clearly showed what he thought about the on-board radio.
Verstappen initially seemed to have a good start in the Grand Prix of Tuscany, but was unable to accelerate any further afterwards and was driven past on all sides. In the first corner he was then hit from behind, after which he stranded in the gravel pit. “I’m stuck! This is what you get! What a shit show!”, Verstappen shouted over the on-board radio, before angrily throwing his steering wheel out of his Red Bull. Once back in the paddock, the Limburger declared in front of the camera of Ziggo Sport that he was ‘completely done’ with it and that he was ‘if not very excited’ anymore.
“Max’s frustration after another DNF is completely understandable,” Horner writes in a column on the team’s website. “He was there from the very first lap at Mugello [dat weekend] on top of. We had a very fast car and really made some progress with the balance of the car. That also made it so sour for him. “Horner understands the angry reaction from Verstappen on the on-board radio.” It’s natural to let off steam on the radio. We really felt that we could make it difficult for Mercedes in the race. He had worked hard to get out faster than Lewis and it would have been ‘game on’ after that, but unfortunately it didn’t get that far. “
A week earlier at Monza, there was also a problem with the Honda power source, forcing Verstappen to step out in the pits. “It was for the second race in a row and that causes him a lot of frustration because he is so hungry and wants so badly,” said Horner. “If he hadn’t been that hungry, he wouldn’t be the driver he is and we would all love to see every weekend fight for victory.”
“He has to get it out of his system now and look ahead,” Horner added. Before the Russian Grand Prix, the next race on the Formula 1 calendar, Red Bull wants to have a conversation with Verstappen, who must contribute to this. “We will go over it with him before we go to Sochi and discuss with him what has been done behind the scenes by Honda and the team to make sure it doesn’t happen again at the next race.”
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