Max Verstappen raises Red Bull alarm bells with 'main concern' as Perez's future discussed
The Dutchman has spoken out after Red Bull's weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix ended in disappointment.
Max Verstappen has warned Red Bull they have bigger problems than Sergio Perez after another below-par performance at the Belgian Grand Prix.
Perez's future appears to be in serious doubt just weeks after signing a new contract to 2026, with Red Bull planning to hold talks about the Mexican today (Monday) to discuss his recent string of poor performances.
But Verstappen has taken the unusual step of going against his mentor Helmut Marko by suggesting their 'main concern' is not Perez, but the declining pace of their RB20 car.
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“Our main concern is the car,” Verstappen told the written media after the Belgian Grand Prix. “That’s what we should focus on mainly because I think if you look at Checo’s weekend, it was very positive.
“Of course in the race, it just shows that we have difficulties still with the tyre life. I think that should be our main priority.”
Red Bull advisor Marko tore into Perez after he fell from second on the grid to finish seventh at Spa, and that was only after George Russell was disqualified from the race, as he crossed the finish line in eighth position.
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Marko told Sky Germany: "Sergio had the opportunity to take a good result from second place. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case. Especially in the last stint, he completely collapsed.
"What looked so positive in qualifying unfortunately didn't materialise in the race."
It is not the first time Verstappen has defended Perez this season, with the 26-year-old airing his own frustrations about Red Bull's issues and pointing to this as the reason behind his team-mate's struggles.
In December, Red Bull became the most dominant team in F1 history after winning 21 out of 22 races in 2023. But their rivals have caught up this year, with McLaren now deemed to have the fastest car and Mercedes winning three of the last four races.
Verstappen has now gone four races without a victory for the first time since 2020 and the Dutchman is concerned that Red Bull are no longer the team to beat.
“We were just not faster than the cars around us,” Verstappen added after the race, although he did praise the team for maximising their performance in a “damage control” race.
Verstappen collected 12 points from the weekend and extended his championship lead over by Norris by a further two points, despite starting 11th on the grid after taking a 10-place grid penalty.
It could have been even better for Verstappen had he been allowed past Perez earlier in the race, but the three-time world champion agreed with the team's decision not to implement team orders.
“No, I don’t think it’s fair on him [Perez] because he’s doing his own race as well," Verstappen said. “I think there, we did the right thing. I don’t think that would have mattered a lot in my race."
