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Red Bull to seriously listen to Verstappen "criticism" at meeting
- Ewan Gale
Red Bull Racing motorsport advisor Helmut Marko has insisted the team will listen to Max Verstappen's "wishes and criticism" seriously at a meeting today.
The four-time world champion will sit for crisis talks with the team at its Milton Keynes headquarters on Thursday, just hours after it was officially confirmed that Yuki Tsunoda would replace Liam Lawson from the Japanese Grand Prix onwards.
It comes after Verstappen finished fourth at the Chinese Grand Prix while then-teammate Lawson qualified last for both the sprint and grand prix. The Dutchman has pushed for improvement from Red Bull across the past 18 months.
Asked whether Tsunoda would be joining the meeting, Marko told Austrian outlet OE24: "The meeting is mainly about Max going through the next steps with the technicians. His wishes and criticism will be listened to seriously."
While Verstappen struggled early on in the race at the Shanghai International Circuit, his pace in the second stint allowed him to pass Charles Leclerc's Ferrari to finish fourth, proving there is potential in the RB21.
"Max was too cautious on the medium tyres, but on the hard tyres he was able to keep up with the McLarens," said Marko.
On whether Verstappen is in the title race this year, the Austrian added: "Then our car has to perform better. We have something in the pipeline, but it will take time. It's not an overnight thing."
This article was written in collaboration with Nicole Mulder.
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