Jos Verstappen addresses added pressure on Max Verstappen and Red Bull as the grid closes up

Jos Verstappen feels that Red Bull and Max Verstappen are reaching a point now where everything has to be perfect. The last three races have not been the best for Max. The driver has lost two of them.

The first was lost in Miami when Lando Norris, in his upgraded McLaren, benefitted from the ill-timed safety car and used it to gain the lead in the race. Max Verstappen was unable to keep up with him as the Red Bull driver suffered from damage.

After fending off a late charge from Lando Norris to win in Imola, Max Verstappen suffered a major blow in Monaco. The Dutch driver made a mistake on his final lap in Q3 and hence started the race in P6, a position where he ended up finishing in the race as well.

That drop has closed the gap between Max Verstappen and Charles Leclerc to only 31 points. Talking about this in an exclusive with Verstappen.com, Jos Verstappen specified that now everything has to be perfect if one has to win over a weekend. He said,

"Yes, you see that this year it’s more challenging to make the difference with the competition closing in. Every weekend, you have to perform at 100%. Everything has to be right, from being fit to working well with your engineer. It’s all about the details."

He added,

"I don’t think everyone realises how much Max needs to do to perform like this. It’s not something that just happens. The competitors have not got it together as much as they wanted and they appreciate what Max has done. What he’s shown in 2023 is unique and I think it should be valued."

Jos Verstappen unsure if Max Verstappen has peaked

During the same interview, Jos Verstappen was questioned whether Max Verstappen has now peaked in his career as a driver and the former racer was unable to answer succinctly. Jos felt that he found it hard to think what areas were left for Max Verstappen to get better at. Talking about how Max has been ready to win a title since he was 21, Jos said,

"That’s a difficult question to answer. With experience you can improve, but can he get much better? I don’t know. I think Max was ready to be a world champion at 21. What I see in Max now, I’d seen in go-karts. But off-track, I see a very relaxed guy, almost looking like he doesn’t really care."

He added,

"When Max was still in go-karts, I was worried about that, but that’s just his way of preparing. He doesn’t want to be occupied with lots of things. 'We’ll see' is Max’s approach."

It is hard to quantify if Verstappen has peaked or not. It is however safe to say that he would be concerned by the reduced gaps between the teams.