Credits: IMAGO / AFLOSPORT
Max Verstappen and Red Bull arguably don’t have the fastest car on the grid now. Yet, the Dutchman was able to win the race by pushing the RB20 to the absolute limit in Imola, Canada, and Spain. However, despite the push, he now lost the last two races to Mercedes. Red Bull are no longer the dominant force they once were. Regardless, Verstappen isn’t bothered by the competition closing up and shifts his focus to Red Bull.
“I’m not that concerned with that, because in the end, you’re just busy with your own team”, said Verstappen according to RacingNews365 when asked about the competition closing up. He added, “That’s the only thing you have control over and that you can also change. What the rest does, you can’t control anyway.”
McLaren’s package lacked the traction and quick turning in the slow-speed corners while Mercedes was always on the edge. Both the teams have sorted out those issues with the recent upgrades and are arguably faster than Red Bull. The RB20 doesn’t have a particular weakness but is just lacking a tiny amount of performance in multiple areas.
Adding to Red Bull’s misery is the reliability concerns with the power units. Verstappen has already used the maximum number of allowed engine components. It is inevitable for the Dutchman to take an engine penalty in the second half of the season as advised by Christian Horner.
Regardless, Red Bull brought a major floor upgrade to the British GP. The floor upgrade is reported to have helped the RB20 find a tenth or two worth of performance. Another major upgrade is expected to arrive in Budapest.
Red Bull reported to bring upgrades at Hungarian GP
With Red Bull not being the fastest car anymore, one would expect Verstappen to panic and push the team. However, the Dutchman isn’t stressed and believes in the team to find performance with upcoming upgrades.
“I think I’m generally pretty relaxed, whether it’s close or not. I don’t think I’m very stressed in the car. You always want to have performance and then you’re just critical when it goes wrong or goes well”, said Verstappen according to RN365.
Red Bull brought a sidepod inlet upgrade at the Spanish GP followed by a floor upgrade at the British GP. Now, the Milton Keynes outfit is reported to bring a major upgrade package for the Hungarian GP.
It is believed that if the package works, then Verstappen and Co. could be in a comfortable position for the rest of the season.
