Verstappen passes clear verdict: 'The ball is now in Red Bull's court'

Verstappen points to ongoing problem Red Bull

Verstappen points out that Red Bull has not been performing as expected for some time and that one reason for this can now be crossed out. "At the beginning we could still say it was circuit-specific, but I think it's now clear that it doesn't matter which circuit we go to. We are struggling everywhere," Verstappen began in conversation with Formula.hu.

He acknowledges that his own team has been struggling a bit lately, while the competition is only making improvements. He does point out that Red Bull still leads both championships, but at the same time stresses that his team really needs to work on the RB20's performance to keep it that way.

Verstappen: 'Downturn should motivate Red Bull'

While the chasing F1 teams like McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari are motivated to overtake Red Bull, Verstappen says the Austrian formation must be at least as motivated to stay ahead of them."A drop in performance should be as much an incentive as the pursuit of success," argues the three-time world champion.

"I think if you are the winning team, you should actually push even harder. That should be the mentality. The people chasing you have the hunger to win and the desire to try to beat you. And they have done that well recently, so it is up to us to respond," he adds.

This article has been written in collaboration with Matt Gretton