Max Verstappen’s recent outburst during the Hungarian Grand Prix, according to former Haas team principal Guenther Steiner, was the result of the driver feeling pressured.
Before the summer break, Red Bull’s performance advantage started to wane as Mercedes and McLaren significantly closed the gap with the team.
Red Bull’s advantage in the constructors’ standings has been reduced to 42 points by McLaren, even if Verstappen still leads by 78 points in the drivers’ title. Verstappen had a rare moment of weakness during the Hungarian Grand Prix, the final race before the summer break, as he expressed his displeasure over the radio throughout the race.
Christian Horner, the team principal, was disappointed by Verstappen’s criticism of his teammates, other teams, and the stewards. While Horner and adviser Helmut Marko addressed the matter in private following the race, Steiner indicated he would have handled it in a different way.
On Monday at 4 PM UK (5 PM CEST), Steiner stated on the RacingNews365 podcast, “I would have tried to calm him down because he’s now feeling the pressure.”
“It’s possible that being combative with him made things worse. He must realize that without the dominating vehicle, the rest of the season will be different. His outburst was the consequence of his emotions getting the better of him, and he needs to get used to this shift. It’s difficult to adjust when you’re used to winning, particularly when you do it in a dominating manner.