Max Verstappen F1 News: Helmut Marko explains star's struggles amid Red Bull slump

Max Verstappen

Marko explains Verstappen STRUGGLES amid Red Bull slump

Max Verstappen has not won a single race in the last four races

Parth Jhaveri

Saturday 10 August 2024 18:57

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko has delved into three-time world champion Max Verstappen's recent struggles in the sport.

After a dominant start to the 2024 Formula 1 season - which saw Verstappen win five of the first seven races - the Dutchman has now gone four grands prix without a victory.

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In those four races, Verstappen has finished on the podium just once, too, meaning it has been a remarkable downturn in terms of form.

A big part of this slump, of course, has been that the once dominant Red Bull have been reined in by some of their rivals, with McLaren and Mercedes now quick enough to challenge Verstappen for race victories.

Max Verstappen is winless in four grands prix

Red Bull's rivals have closed the gap on the team in terms of performance

Max Verstappen's struggles explained

Last time out at the Belgian Grand Prix, Verstappen qualified fastest, but was forced to start 11th on the grid after being hit with an engine penalty.

Although the three-time world champion drove a solid race, he could only recover to P5, although he was eventually promoted to P4 after George Russell’s disqualification.

Speaking in his Speedweek.com column, Marko believes Verstappen could have ended his win drought had he started on pole at Spa, pointing to a key reason for reigning champion failing to make his way through the field.

"Max Verstappen managed to finish in fifth place in Spa after his grid penalty and then moved up to fourth place after George Russell was disqualified," Marko wrote.

Max Verstappen achieved P4 at the Belgian Grand Prix

"If he had started from pole position, which he achieved the day before, a win would have been possible. But since he had to start the race from 11th place, that was difficult, because you could see how difficult overtaking was in Belgium.

"It wasn't just the shortened DRS zone, it's the current cars that generate so much downforce that it's incredibly difficult to follow.

"The front tyres overheat and you either manage to overtake in the shortest time possible or you don't, as we saw with Lando Norris."

Red Bull Max Verstappen Lewis Hamilton Mercedes McLaren Formula 1