Verstappen's Spanish GP frustration signals core issues at Red Bull? Here's what Johnny Herbert thinks
17:00, 05 Jun
Updated: 17:44, 05 Jun
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Johnny Herbert thinks that Max Verstappen's frustrations which derived in a controversial manoeuvre in the confronts of George Russell cannot be pinned solely on the operation labors of Red Bull Racing, but rather on how 'on the edge' the people are in the Austrian team.
Herbert saw Red Bull's hands were tied in terms of what rubber to put Verstappen on, whilst also praising the Dutch talent for keeping the car on track after a huge snap of oversteer coming out of the final Turn.
"I know that Red Bull said the fresh hards were their only choice, and they knew Charles Leclerc was on the faster tyre, so he was obviously going to have more pace."
"The fresh set of hards compared to an old set of soft or mediums could be a better option, but the hards didn’t seem like the right call, they were always going to be hard work for Max Verstappen with zero grip. Verstappen showed his skill when he kept the car on the track when it snapped on the straight.”
Wrong tyre choice, Verstappen's first trigger
For the former Benetton F1 driver it was that particular strategic call that ignited Verstappen: “Can you blame the Red Bull team for what happened in the end? I don’t think so, they just ran out of options."
"But, the hards were definitely the first trigger in Verstappen’s head, he would have been annoyed about his situation. The next trigger was when he was asked to let Russell overtake him, these triggers built up which led to the collision.”
Max Verstappen after the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona.
Herbert sees that Red Bull's ability to fight for titles and to reign supreme over its rivals has now come to an end as they lack the technological weapons that other teams have, namely McLaren.
“Red Bull are not as strong as they were, but that’s because McLaren have done a better job. Red Bull have had a very good run and won those four championships with Verstappen, it’s very very rare to continue to dominate the sport longer than that."
"Other teams have technology that makes them capable of catching up to the leading team. McLaren are the better team, but Red Bull are still in the mix. It didn’t work in Barcelona, but it worked out for them in Imola."
Red Bull's dominance, a thing of the past
"I still think Red Bull are the best in terms of strategy, they put a different strategy into play that put them in with chance of fighting it out with the two McLaren’s race in Spain but is was never enough."
"On sheer performance, they clearly haven’t dominated like they used to do, because McLaren are working as a team and is clear to see.”
The former FIA Steward then points to the team's internal strife as the source of all their sporting woes.
“Are the little goings on behind the scenes at Redbull preventing the team from going forward? Adrian Newey left, there was the issue with Christian Horner, Jos Verstappen is very vocal about the difficulties within the team. It’s not the perfect harmony it once was before, people are a little more on edge now.”
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