Max Verstappen calls for improved reliability amidst driveshaft concerns in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP

Max Verstappen recently spoke about Red Bull's reliability woes and urged them to stay on top of things in order to lead and defend the championship.

The two-time world champion had to settle for P15 in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP qualifying session after he suffered a driveshaft failure. He complained about the driveshaft in the main race as well. Sergio Perez's RB19 also faced some hiccups during the race.

Speaking to the media, including Sportskeeda, Max Verstappen addressed the minor balance issues he faced during the Bahrain GP and the major driveshaft problems in the Saudi Arabian GP. He said:

"I hope for a long time. But it's not only about the pace of the car: we need to make sure we are reliable without any issues. I mean, my first weekend was not very clean because of just the big balance shift from testing to the race weekend, some other things which are going on in the background. And now again, after three positive practice sessions, where then of course, I have an issue in qualifying."

Verstappen admitted that he does not mind a recovery race where he plows through the field to end up on the podium. However, he still wants both the RB19s to be as faultless as possible so that he and Red Bull can defend their championship.

Max Verstappen concluded:

"And then yeah, you have to do a recovery race, which I like – I mean, I don't mind doing it - but when you're fighting for a Championship and especially, you know, when it looks like it's just between two cars, we have to make sure that also the two cars are reliable."

Red Bull is so far ahead in terms of pace that the only thing that is able to stop their dominance is reliability issues. As the season progresses, other teams will have much better upgrade packages compared to the reigning world champions as well.

---

Max Verstappen summed up his drive in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP

Max Verstappen drove brilliantly in the 2023 F1 Saudi Arabian GP. After an unfortunate qualifying session due to a driveshaft failure, the Dutchman plowed through the field and finished second, right behind his teammate, Sergio Perez.

Speaking to former F1 driver, David Coulthard in parc ferme after the race, Verstappen stated:

"It wasn't very easy to get through the field. Through the first sector, trying to follow in the beginning of the race was very difficult, a lot of sliding around. But once I cleared them one by one, we got into a good rhythm and, of course, to be here on the podium."

Though he was happy with the team's result, Verstappen later expressed that he was not happy on a personal level and wanted to win the race.