Verstappen's Blunt Message To Red Bull After Qualifying: 'Some People Might Need To Wake Up'
F1
After qualifying in P3 for the 2024 Hungarian Grand Prix in a car with freshly introduced upgrades, Max Verstappen warned some people within Red Bull "might need to wake up."
As usual, Max Verstappen was one of the quickest cars on the track during the qualifying session for the 13th round of the season in Budapest.
Red Bull brought the biggest upgrade package of the season so far to this race weekend and the expectations were quite big. The triple World Champion warned already ahead of the weekend it might be very bad if these upgrades don't work as expected.
Speaking to the media after Friday's session at Hungaroring, Red Bull's advisor Helmut Marko asserted that the newly introduced upgrades brought the desired effects.
However, after extracting the maximum out of his car and still qualifying in P3, Max Verstappen disagreed as he told the media:
"But on Friday, I already didn't think it was optimal; maybe we have a different opinion about that. I don't think everyone understands the situation. With me, they know that I don't make excuses, I'm always very realistic."
The 26-year-old's only goal is to win the Championship title, and he knows the team from Milton Keynes has to strive for perfection if they are to win it. Consequently, he does not see the upgrade as great if his car is still slower than McLaren.
"Maybe not everyone is on the same wavelength. I think that some people might need to wake up a little. It's not all bad, but if you want to become world champion, it has to go better than this."
"The updates are working, but I don't think it has delivered the steps we wanted to take. McLaren is in first and second place here, so it's clear that the car is going like a bullet."
The Dutchman clarified that he could feel the progress, but the problem was that he had to push the car beyond the limit, and even then, it was not enough. He added:
"It's different for us. It's difficult to find a good balance. I think I have to drive more on the limit than last year."
"And then I think my lap itself was good. You also have to remember that Lando only had one set of new tires. That's why I think it was a distorted picture. I think the gap is bigger, and that will also be the problem in the race."
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