"Can the people in the background please be awake? I know this is a s**t position but it's important": Max Verstappen's tense radio during Italian GP

The 2024 Italian GP was a race to forget for Max Verstappen as the Red Bull driver finished in sixth place. While Charles Leclerc win in Monza gave the Tifosi a day to remember, Verstappen's subpar outing brought out a tense radio message for Christian Horner's team.

After qualifying in P7 on Saturday, Verstappen could not improve much and finished the race in P6. The 6.2-second delayed pit stop during the race only added to his misery. As the Dutchman struggled with the balance of the car, his RB20 was no match to Ferrari and McLaren.

The RB20 not only had a balance issue but also struggled for straight-line speed and, as a result, lost time to rivals in the long stretch. As the defending champion experienced yet another disappointing weekend, he called on his team to start improving.

"Can the people in the background please be awake? I know this is a s**t position, but it's important."

It wasn't the only tense radio message from the three-time world champion on Sunday. He also had a message for the team after the conclusion of the race.

"Yeah, tough race. Everything went against us. Not the power we wanted, not the pace, not the pitstops. But yeah, we have to work hard to change the car around."

Christian Horner, the Red Bull team principal, apologized to the Dutchman after the race. Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez finished the race in the same position he started, P8.

As Leclerc claimed his second victory of the season, the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris completed the podium places. Carlos Sainz and Lewis Hamilton came home in P4 and P5, respectively. George Russell crossed the line in P7, and Alex Albon and Kevin Magnussen wrapped up the top 10.

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Max Verstappen and Red Bull at risk of losing their F1 titles

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the Red Bull Racing RB20 (Source: Getty)

Lando Norris trimmed his drivers' championship gap to Max Verstappen to 62 points after claiming P2 at Monza. The Brit has outperformed Verstappen in back-to-back races, and has 241 points in 16 races, compared to Verstappen's 303.

On the other hand, McLaren is agonizingly close to Red Bull in the constructors' championship, with just eight points separating the two teams. The Papayas have 438 points after the double podium finish. Red Bull is just ahead with 446 points. Notably, Ferrari has also made up ground and is now in P3 with 407 points.

The upcoming race is in Baku, Azerbaijan, and given the lack of top speed and race pace, it is unlikely that Max Verstappen and Red Bull will go into the 2024 Azerbaijan Grand Prix as the firm favorites over McLaren.