Max Verstappen mood worsens as Red Bull problems are exposed by F1 Dutch GP

Max Verstappen says his Red Bull Formula 1 car continues to suffer from the same underlying issues, as the season resumes at the Dutch Grand Prix this weekend after a four-week summer break.

Having failed to finish on the podium in the previous four grands prix, Verstappen again looked downbeat at his home race at Zandvoort as he struggled with the RB21 in Friday practice.

Finishing fifth overall with a best time of 1m10.478s, the four-time world champion lagged behind not just McLaren and Mercedes, but also Aston Martin’s Fernando Alonso.

Track characteristics further compromised the Dutchman’s day, with Zandvoort featuring a large selection of long, medium-speed corners that have already proved to be Red Bull’s weak point in Hungary.

Speaking to Sky TV, Verstappen said the Milton Keynes squad is in the same position as it was before the summer shutdown, as he played down any chances of an overnight turnaround.

“Nothing special really. Still struggling with the same things,” he said, summing up the day. 

“Again, we tried a lot of things with the car, but it just doesn't really seem to change anything in terms of my underlying problem.

“We'll look overnight if we can find a bit more, but I'm not gonna expect a massive turnaround. It's just tricky.

“Plus, the layout of the track also probably doesn't suit our problems that we have with the car.

“In the middle sector, there are a lot of long corners, so it's not great.”

While McLaren and Mercedes were always expected to be quick in the second half of the season, Alonso’s shock performance in the Aston Martin AMR25 has created another headache for Red Bull.

Having finished a distant ninth last time out at the Hungaroring, Verstappen was also pessimistic about his chances at Zandvoort.

“It looks like it will be really hard enough to be in the top 5, but we'll see tomorrow.”