Source: REUTERS/JEAN CARNIEL
[Saba Sports News] Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher revealed that four-time champion Max Verstappen’s father, Jos Verstappen, privately told him that the Red Bull team is struggling immensely with how to get the RB21 car and its tires into their ideal operating window. During last week’s Brazilian F1 Grand Prix, the Red Bull team’s performance was once again fluctuating. Verstappen finished fourth in the Sprint but was eliminated in the first segment of qualifying, placing only 16th. After qualifying, Verstappen stated the car completely lost balance and was sliding everywhere. He had to slow down just to avoid losing control. This result prompted the Red Bull team to hold an emergency meeting on Saturday night. Ultimately, the team decided to break the curfew rules, changing the power unit and thoroughly revising the car’s setup for Verstappen, at the cost of starting the race from the pit lane. But this proved to be a wise choice – Verstappen fought his way through the field in the main race, finishing third, just 0.4 seconds behind the winner. Regarding this, Ralf Schumacher disclosed in an interview with German media that Jos Verstappen frankly stated the team’s biggest current problem is getting the car and tires into their ideal state. Unfortunately, they went in the wrong direction during qualifying, indicating that Red Bull and Verstappen haven’t fully understood this car’s characteristics, which is also the reason for the RB21’s performance fluctuations. Ralf Schumacher directly stated that for a team that has won so many championships, this situation should not have happened.