Ferrari boss Fred Vasseur backs up Damon Hill's suspicion over Max Verstappen
Max Verstappen's recent struggles with Red Bull have got people talking.
Ferrari chief Frederic Vasseur has suggested that the increased pressure from rivals is causing Max Verstappen to slip up more frequently.
Since his dramatic and contentious title victory over Lewis Hamilton in 2021, Verstappen has been virtually untouchable, cruising to back-to-back championships before starting this season in formidable form.
However, recent races have seen a shift in momentum. Lando Norris outpaced him in Miami and nearly did so again at Imola, while Charles Leclerc capitalised on Red Bull's difficulties in Monaco.
And Vasseur claims that this resurgence from McLaren and Ferrari seems to be putting the heat on Verstappen and Red Bull, which is in turn leading to uncharacteristic errors from the reigning champion.
He commented: "I don't want to draw any conclusions from this weekend, but if you look at the last two weekends, Max made more mistakes in Imola than in the last three seasons. As soon as you have to push more, if you have to stay in your comfort zone for the strategy, for everything, you don't have to make mistakes.
"I think they were in that situation - but I'm not drawing any conclusions. They will be back soon and be strong and I am not considering that all the races will be easy until the end.
"As soon as you are in a position where you have to pay more attention to detail, you have a kind of snowball effect - and this is part of the improvement of the last six or seven months."
Vasseur's comments mirror those made by Damon Hill while watching Verstappen at Imola. After witnessing the Red Bull driver veer off course four times during Friday's practice, the 1996 F1 champion suggested that Verstappen might be feeling the pressure of having genuine competitors once again.
Sky Sports analyst Hill stated: "The other teams are catching up. That is definitely the case. The comfortable advantage that Max has enjoyed over the last couple of seasons... it is inevitable that people will close the gap. When you are uncomfortable with the pace, it is relative.
"If you've got a two or three tenths advantage over everyone, then you don't have to push the car. Is that what we are seeing now? Is Max having to get more out of the car than he can, as a result of other people closing up? Actually, are you starting to see the ultimate performance of the Red Bull, and they are scratching their heads to find more. Competition is definitely coming."
