Max Verstappen pulls back the curtain on the weakness of the Red Bull car

Max Verstappen addressed the weak spot of his Red Bull ride ahead of the Japanese Grand Prix. The Dutchman, who is defending his F1 title this year, touched upon the weakness of the RB21 and stated that his team is doing its best to overcome the drawbacks, but it's still "quite difficult."

Verstappen has not been at his very best in the first two races of the season as Red Bull failed to provide him with a rocketship this year. Unlike 2023 and 2024, the Dutchman remained off-color in Australia and China, as the Red Bull RB21 was barely a match for the McLarens.

Addressing the same, Verstappen, who looks to secure a win in Japan, appeared for an interview, where he unraveled how the RB21 still has numerous areas to improve. He said (via RacingNews365):

"Every circuit is different, but they always have a lead. Never say never. We try to get the best out of the car every race. At the moment, of course, I think it is not good enough, even if we optimize the performance. But we keep working on it.

"A combination of facets. It depends on the corner speed, the asphalt, the tires, overheating, bumps, and curbs. On some circuits, it limits you more than on others. So it depends on the layout of the circuit. You work on one aspect, but that also affects something else. It is quite difficult, but we still try to bring performance."

In Melbourne, the four-time world champion qualified in P3, behind the McLaren duo of Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri. However, he finished the race in P2, thanks to a slip by Piastri in the rain-soaked race.

In Shanghai, Verstappen qualified in P2 in the Sprint shootout and came home in P3 in the Sprint. In the main race qualifying, the Hasselt-born driver qualified in P4 and ended his race in the same position.

---

Max Verstappen comes clean on Red Bull criticism via Instagram

Following Red Bull's decision to demote Liam Lawson to bring in Yuki Tsunoda, Max Verstappen was reportedly unhappy. The Dutchman made it very obvious after he liked an Instagram post by former F1 driver Giedo van der Garde.

Max Verstappen, Oracle Red Bull Racing is seen talking with journalists in his team office - Source: Getty

In the post, van der Garde criticized Red Bull's panic move on Lawson, something Verstappen agreed with as he liked the post on Instagram. As the news surfaced, it sent ripples across the F1 fraternity. While many understood the Dutch driver's motive, others called it a mistaken move.

However, Verstappen addressed the same and stated that it was not a mistake and that he did it on purpose. He said (via Racingnews365):

"I liked the text, so that says enough, right? It wasn't a mistake. That sometimes happens when you click on something."

With Yuki Tsunoda being promoted as Max Verstappen's teammate in Red Bull, he became the Dutchman's third teammate in four races, after Sergio Perez and Liam Lawson.