F1 star Max Verstappen says it is becoming 'dangerous' to drive for Red Bull after Silverstone crash

Verstappen after Sprint at Silverstone — Photo: © IMAGO

Max Verstappen

Max Verstappen says it is becoming 'dangerous' to drive for Red Bull after Silverstone crash

Max Verstappen suffered his third DNF of the season at Silverstone

Sam Cook Digital Journalist

Sports Journalist who has been covering motorsport since 2023

Sunday 5 July 2026 21:55

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Four-time F1 world champion Max Verstappen has said that it's becoming 'dangerous' to drive his RB22.

The Red Bull driver had been critical of his car all weekend long, but was running up in third in the main race, looking racy and chasing down Lewis Hamilton in second.

Despite this, he had still been struggling with his downshifts during the race, and was constantly bemoaning his car via team radio.

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Then, on lap 48, Verstappen suffered a huge snap of oversteer heading into Stowe corner, and spun out into the gravel, right in front of Silverstone's Landostand.

It meant a third DNF of the season for the Dutchman, and he remains down in seventh in the drivers' championship.

But after the race, Verstappen suggested that the crash was due to his rear wing not closing properly, a similar fault to what he experienced during Austrian GP qualifying last time out, which sent him hurtling into the barriers.

Verstappen struggling with RB22 unpredictability

"Same problem again like in qualifying in Austria," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 after the race. "When the rear wing doesn't close fully, you lose a lot of downforce and you spin off the track, so yeah.

"One time, okay, but two times, it's becoming dangerous for myself.

"It's just painful, frustrating, you know, you're trying everything you can. The whole weekend I'm not happy with the car balance, I'm down on top speed on my side of the garage, same again today in the race.

"If it was up to me, I would have started from the pit lane. At the moment, I'm honestly just looking forward to going home and not thinking about Formula 1."

It's not looking good for Red Bull, who are desperately trying to prove to Verstappen that he will soon be driving a car capable of challenging for race victories.

The Dutchman's long-term future with the team has been called into question recently, with his manager Raymond Vermeulen revealing recently that there are exit clauses in his deal, which is supposed to run until the end of 2028.

That has led to rumours that McLaren may be sniffing around his services, but CEO Zak Brown rubbished those rumours at the recent Austrian GP.

F1 Red Bull Max Verstappen British Grand Prix