F1 champion Max Verstappen hits back at Helmut Marko's Red Bull 'downgrade' claim

Max Verstappen

Verstappen hits back at Marko's Red Bull 'downgrade' claim

Can Red Bull win the Dutch GP?

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Saturday 24 August 2024 09:12

Max Verstappen has responded to Helmut Marko’s claims that Red Bull have ‘downgraded’ for the Dutch Grand Prix.

The Milton-Keynes based outfit have lost ground to their rivals this year, with McLaren and Mercedes challenging for wins prior to the summer break.

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Verstappen has not won a race since the Spanish Grand Prix, with 42 points now separating his team from McLaren in the constructors’ championship.

Red Bull have also struggled this season due to the poor performances of Sergio Perez, who entered the summer break with his F1 future hanging by a thread.

Max Verstappen has not won a race since the Spanish GP

Sergio Perez last achieved an F1 podium in China

Will Red Bull be competitive in Zandvoort?

The team made the decision to retain Perez and, according to Marko, the struggling driver will return to an earlier spec of the RB20 in order to aid his performances.

It is also believed that Verstappen could return to a version of the Red Bull last seen at the Chinese Grand Prix, where both drivers were also together last on the podium.

On the changes the team was bringing to the Dutch GP, Marko said to Kleinezeitung.at that he would call them 'downgrades’.

Ahead of the Dutch GP, Verstappen discussed the current performance of the Red Bull and whether they had learned anything during the summer break about the struggles with the car.

Max Verstappen responds to Dutch GP 'downgrade' claims

“We are obviously working hard on that, and hopefully we will get some answers this weekend,” Verstappen said to the media including GPFans. “From there we will go further and see what we can still find or improve on the car.

When asked whether there was any truth in Marko’s ‘downgrade’ claims, Verstappen denied that was the approach the team had taken.

“That's not the case,” Verstappen added. “Of course, you analyse a lot of things and adjustments come out of that, and that starts here at Zandvoort.”

Red Bull Max Verstappen Ferrari Mercedes McLaren Helmut Marko