Max Verstappen is in a bad mood after the Bahrain GP, his Red Bull car is too slow. According to the news agency dpa, there is speculation about a move to another Formula 1 team.
15.04.2025, 06:05
15.04.2025, 07:00
SDA
Sixth place on Sunday in Sakhir, half a minute behind the winner, left its mark. Shaking his head, Verstappen sat in his sluggish car before he started his big reckoning. "Basically, everything went wrong. The start, the pit stops, the pace, simply everything," grumbled the Formula 1 world champion after his botched working day in Bahrain and even spoke of a "catastrophe" at the end.
Breakdown at the pit stop
"We have to persevere and try to improve the situation. We're a bit stuck at the moment," said Verstappen. In addition to the technical and aerodynamic weaknesses of his car, there was also a glitch with the team's traffic light system at the pit stop in Sakhir, which caused Verstappen to spend an unnecessarily long time changing tires.
"This race has exposed some of our difficulties, which we need to rectify as quickly as possible. We understand where the problems are, the solutions are taking a little longer," said Team Principal Christian Horner. After personnel changes following the departure of Newey and team manager Jonathan Wheatley, Red Bull is a long way from the perfection and overwhelming dominance of the peak of Verstappen's title years.
It is only thanks to his driving class that Verstappen is currently keeping up with the fight for the title to some extent. Thanks to his unexpected victory in Japan just over a week ago, the Dutchman has 69 points ahead of next Sunday's Grand Prix in Saudi Arabia, just eight points fewer than leader Lando Norris and five fewer than his McLaren team-mate Oscar Piastri.
Farewell to Red Bull?
Left behind on the track and dropping back to third place in the championship - the title defender's bad mood promptly fueled speculation about a departure from Red Bull.
"The concern is great. There must be improvements in the near future so that he has a car with which he can win again," Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko told the TV channel Sky. On days like these in Sakhir, the team bosses are repeatedly rudely reminded of the alleged exit clause that would allow Verstappen to switch if the racing team cannot offer him a title-winning car.
Possible destinations for the four-time champion include Mercedes - despite all the denials from team boss Toto Wolff in Bahrain - and Aston Martin with design mastermind Adrian Newey. The question is how high Verstappen's frustration tolerance is before he seriously considers other employers. "It's tough," admitted the Dutchman when asked about the current situation.
Update announced for Imola
With his second win of the season in Bahrain, Australian Piastri showed that he may even be McLaren's first contender for the world championship crown. He outdid the entire competition in a relaxed and flawless manner. Verstappen will probably have to hope that the two McLaren drivers wear each other out in an internal duel within the team so much that he becomes the laughing third after all.
However, Red Bull must quickly find more speed in the car. At the race after next in Imola, an update package should alleviate the worst worries.