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Max Verstappen

Verstappen explains Red Bull faux pas after 'shit position' radio message

Max Verstappen has shared his frustration with his Red Bull team after he was not kept up-to-date on key car management information during the Italian Grand Prix.

Verstappen Saturday Italy
Article
To news overview © Red Bull Content Pool

Max Verstappen has called on Red Bull to be more "on top" of things during races after the team failed to keep him informed during the Italian Grand Prix.

It was an off-weekend for the Milton Keynes squad, with the Dutchman and Sergio Perez finishing in sixth and eighth at Monza, respectively.

The three-time world champion has been vocal about how difficult the RB20 has become, branding it a "monster" and even claiming winning the drivers' title is "unrealistic" at this stage, despite holding a 62-point advantage over Lando Norris.

With Red Bull mired in its recent run of meagre form, the team performed a slow, 6.2 second pit stop on Verstappen's car, underlining the uncharacteristically poor execution from the reigning constructors' champions that marred its Italian Grand Prix.

Further still, a telling radio message from the 26-year-old to race engineer Gianpiero Lambiase was broadcast after another mistake by the team.

"Can people in the background please be awake. I know this is a shit position, but its important," the 61-time grand prix winner complained.

When asked about it after the chequered flag, Verstappen said it was due to a lack of cockpit management from the team to him, after key messages were not relayed to him in a timely manner.

"That had to do with my battery percentage," Verstappen told media including RacingNew365.

"There are certain levels where you are at and certain modes that you use, and basically I see the battery topping up, and at one point then maybe you can go into a faster mode.

"So I asked, and then they're like: 'Oh, yeah, you can.'

"Like, come on! These are the obvious things that you need to be on top of.

"I know that I'm not racing anyone, but that shouldn't matter - it's still in an F1 race where you have to maximise everything.

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