Jos Verstappen fires stern message to Red Bull after huge Dutch Grand Prix defeat

Max Verstappen may have secured an early lead of the Dutch Grand Prix, but it wasn’t to last, as the McLaren of Lando Norris simply had better pace than the hometown driver.

Jos Verstappen, Max’s father, was incensed enough to issue a warning to Red Bull Racing to “take a good look in the mirror” in order to understand what’s going wrong with its RB20.

Jos Verstappen: “They just don’t have it right at the moment”

Max Verstappen got the jump on polesitter Lando Norris at the Dutch Grand Prix, but the McLaren driver was able to chase the competition down and pass the championship leader within the first 20 laps.

The 2024 season kicked off looking like the title would once again fall in Verstappen’s favour. However, as the season progressed, Red Bull failed to successfully counter-develop its car to compete with more competitive upgrades from McLaren and Mercedes.

This has led to an unusual end to Verstappen’s dominant streak, as Oscar Piastri, George Russell, Lewis Hamilton, and Lando Norris have all taken wins. Now, Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship and Red Bull’s lead in the constructors’ title have been whittled down.

Though Max Verstappen has kept his composure, his father Jos has taken to From Telegraph to air his frustrations.

More from Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix:

👉 Max Verstappen reveals major problem with Red Bull RB20 after crushing Dutch GP defeat

👉 What Max Verstappen said about Lando Norris’ race start in Dutch GP cooldown room

“Maybe I shouldn’t say it, but I’m doing it anyway,” Jos Verstappen told De Telegraaf after the Dutch Grand Prix. “The fact that you have to go back to the car from the beginning of this year says enough.

“They just don’t have it right here at the moment. I think they should take a good look in the mirror.”

According to Jos Verstappen, though, his son could see the writing on the wall.

“Max knew this was coming,” he said. “He just didn’t have a chance. This way it’s going to be really tough the rest of the year.

“Max is doing everything he can, but doesn’t have the material to finish it. It was already exceptional that he qualified second.”

For any other team, one driver finishing in second and another in sixth would constitute a great weekend. For Red Bull, however, it’s an abnormality within this most recent regulatory set.

After the race, Verstappen revealed issues with front-to-rear car balance and tire degradation.

Though there’s still plenty of time for Verstappen and Red Bull to sort out their issues and make a strong showing throughout the rest of 2024, the Dutch Grand Prix was a significant sign to get to work quickly.

Read next: Dutch GP: Lando Norris crushes Max Verstappen to inflict first defeat at Zandvoort