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Journalist
Hungry for sport, he grew up to the sound of Formula 1 engines and the exploits of Ronaldinho. Today, a diploma of a master’s degree in sports journalism, he no longer misses an F1 Grand Prix or a PSG match, his two passions and specialties
Although he managed to hang the sixth place on Sunday in Bahrain, Max Verstappen was very unhappy all the weekend of the performance of his RB21. A situation that is starting to worry on the side of Red Bull to the point that Helmut Marko recognizes that the performance clause which allows the Dutch to leave the stable is activated. A transfer takes shape.
-The future of Max Verstappen is increasingly becoming a serious subject in the paddock of Formula 1. And for good reason, the quadruple world champion recognized this weekend that he was not in the race to win the title this season. A statement that can serve as a pressure means, but especially confirmed in the race this Sunday in Bahrain. Indeed, the Dutch pilot could not do better than sixth when the Grand Prix arrived. Second in the pilot ranking until then, Max Verstappen is therefore only third sinceOscar Plastri Thanks to his victory is now ahead of it. With 69 points, the pilot Red Bull only points to eight lengths from the leader Lando Norrisbut the dynamics are disturbing.
Red Bull lets a bomb on Verstappen
And above all, losing a place in the general classification, Max Verstappen could consider a departure of Red Bull ! Indeed, a few weeks ago, Helmut Markospecial advisor in charge of pilots within the Austrian team, confirmed the existence of a performance clause in the contract of the quadruple world champion. In other words, if Red Bull is unable to offer him a car to play the title, the Dutchman could decide to leave. Until then, this clause was not activated given the fact that Verstappen was the dolphin of Lando Norris in the pilot ranking. But the Bahrain Grand Prix has changed everything. “” It’s very important, it’s starting to be activated », Recognizes Helmut Marko in comments reported by Nextgen-auto.com While his pilot is now third in general behind the two McLaren. « It’s clear, Max is right: we have to progress. Not at the level of the points, but at the time. And with a performance like the one we currently achieve, unfortunately, the world championship will not be for us », Add Helmut Markoaware that the RB21 is not at the expected level, before confirming that ” Improvements must be made soon to have a car with which he can win. It should not be a coincidence, like in the rain in Brazil or Japan. There, the track came to him and he made a magical turn. You need a stable base ».
The clause already activated?
Very unhappy, Helmut Marko concludes with a rant in the hope that Red Bull quickly straightens the bar: ” It’s a very difficult day for Red Bull, it’s obvious to all of us. We have to find the performance of the car as quickly as possible and standards like stand stops must work. The car is not the fastest and the stand stops do not work. It is unacceptable. All this is very alarming. We know that we are not competitive and parts will arrive in the next races, and we hope they will make improvements. We have a lot of problems. The main problem concerns balance and adhesion. And from there, I suppose that brake problems have also appeared. And then, the normal procedure, such as stops at the stand, does not work, the problems are linked ». In any case, the bomb is loose, and the threat of a transfer of Max Verstappen becomes more and more concrete.
