Max Verstappen explained that all he could do was to help Red Bull regain their form – put in maximum effort and “try to give feedback” on the RB20's shortcomings. The reigning champions do not give up in any of the world championships.
Verstappen heads to Baku for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix with his worst result in the ground effect era. The Dutchman has recorded just two podiums in his last six starts, as Red Bull continue to slide down the hierarchy.
At this time, Mclaren And Lando Norris have become legitimate contenders for both world championships, and the Briton now sits just 62 points behind the fastest car. However, Verstappen is working hard behind the scenes to help fix the RB20's issues and get his title run back.
“Look, I’m just doing the best I can,” Verstappen explained. “Whether I win or not, it’s not going to change my life. Would I like to win? Yes, of course. But it’s not in my hands when it comes to the performance of the car, because I’m just trying to do the best I can, trying to give feedback, trying to make it quicker.
“Whether it will be enough for the rest of the year, I don’t know, but I know that as a team we will do everything we can to be more competitive than we have shown and just move on.”
While Norris and Mclaren currently on the rise, it would be foolish to write off Verstappen and Red BullThe three-time world champion has made it clear his team are “working their ass off” for their comeback and there is optimism they can bounce back at the US Grand Prix in Texas.
“Would I like to win more? Yeah, of course,” he continued. “But I also knew that a season like last year was very unrealistic, but did I expect it to be like this? Of course, not really, considering how we finished and how we started. So now we just have to try to make it better. But I know everyone is working hard to make it better.
“I mean, we know there are balance issues, yes, but now we need to try to make the car more manageable and more competitive. I think we understand where we need to find something. What we see in the wind tunnel, what we see with CFD, it's not a problem.”
If Verstappen is to keep his title hopes alive, he will need to limit the damage from the upcoming races in Baku and Singapore. Bumpy street circuits have become an Achilles heel Red Bulland expect even greater problems on this front in 2024.