Max Verstappen labels Red Bull fight ‘waste of energy’

Max Verstappen is not wasting any energy moaning about Red Bull in the media after he revealed his focus for the rest of the F1 season.

The Dutchman has gone from winning four back-to-back world titles to struggling to fight for a podium, in a dramatic change in fortunes this year.

As F1 returns to Zandvoort, and the home of Verstappen's devoted fanbase, the Orange Army, a fifth world title is out of the picture for the reigning champion.

When asked during Thursday’s press conference in the Netherlands whether it was hard to remain motivated, Verstappen claimed it was a ‘waste of energy’ to fight back at the team when they are not performing.

"It's not that hard, to be honest. There will be a time that it won’t happen. Unfortunately, that is a bit the case at the moment," he said.

"But it doesn’t make sense for me to be frustrated or be screaming about it, because it's just a waste of energy. That’s not what I'm doing.

"I think we just need to look at the car and the operation and how we can move forward in the future and be better. That’s what we are doing currently."

Can Verstappen and Mekies rebuild Red Bull?

In a bid to turn their performances around, Red Bull have undergone a major restructure which involved sacking long-term team principal Christian Horner and replacing him with Laurent Mekies.

During the same press conference in Zandvoort, Verstappen was asked about his new team boss and how he has been received by the team since his arrival in July, with the Dutchman painting a more positive picture where Mekies is concerned.

"I like the approach that he's having. And it seems like everyone is very positive about the mood in the team, also, when I see people walk around and when we’re talking,” Verstappen said.

“So, yeah, we just need to keep that going. It's not like, when you put someone in charge, that in two weeks or two months things can drastically change. It takes time.”

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