Jos Verstappen claims Red Bull ignored Max Verstappen's complaints about car balance early in the year

Jos Verstappen's recent revelation about Max Verstappen have raised eyebrows amid Red Bull's underwhelming performances of late. The former F1 driver pointed a finger at the Austrian team for not listening to Verstappen regarding the car's performance-related issues, and as a result, the team is now suffering.

Verstappen Sr. in his recent interview with Coen en Sander Show, stated that his son had already notified Red Bull of a significant car issue three months ago. However, Christian Horner's team did not pay much heed to it, as it made a strong start to the 2024 season.

However, Red Bull's performance dipped following the Austrian Grand Prix, and this was when the issue raised by the Dutch driver found traction. Verstappen, on multiple occasions, complained about the balance of the car. Speaking about this, Verstappen Sr. said prior to the Italian GP qualifying:

"At the beginning of the season where you then win races, then of course it all feels right, but he also said then that the balance is not right. Of course, that was not brought out at the time. They then try to keep that inside. He complained about the balance there too."

"Max actually complained about it about three months ago. Only they didn’t really believe it, or they didn’t really see it. Now you’re actually a bit too late," the former F1 driver said.

As things stand, Red Bull may indeed be a bit too late now, and the Italian GP qualifying is a testament to that. The Milton-Keynes-based team was the fourth fastest team at Monza, qualifying in P7 (Max Verstappen), and P8 (Sergio Perez).

Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri of McLaren secured the front row, followed by Mercedes and Ferrari drivers in the next two rows. Surprisingly, all six cars in front had two-tenths of difference in their qualifying times, while Red Bull was in a distant fourth with over six-tenths difference.

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Max Verstappen optimistic about Italian GP race despite qualfiying debacle

Max Verstappen at the F1 Grand Prix of Italy - Qualifying - Source: Getty Images

When asked about his aim for Sunday, Max Verstappen sounded pessimistic during the post-qualifying interview. Despite knowing the drawbacks of the RB20, the three-time world champion shared that he is ready to deliver the best performance possible.

"Our long runs didn't look amazing either, so we'll see. We're now at the back of the group, we'll do our best," Verstappen said.

Max Verstappen currently leads the drivers' championship with 295 points after 15 races. He leads Lando Norris by 70 points. Meanwhile, Red Bull's lead over McLaren in the constructors' championship is just 30 points.