F1 fans tell Max Verstappen to ‘relax’ after ‘close call’ for Red Bull at the Dutch Grand Prix

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Max Verstappen can afford to have some fun during the second half of the 2025 Formula 1 season, now that a fifth consecutive title is out of reach.

The Dutchman is nearly 100 points behind the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who are set to battle for a maiden drivers’ championship over the final 10 races.

Red Bull’s car development has seen them slide down the pecking order and led to a dramatic change at the top, with new team principal Laurent Mekies introduced in a bid to shake things up.

Who knows how close they came to losing Verstappen to Mercedes, but all that matters is that he has confirmed his commitment to them heading into the 2026 F1 regulations.

Verstappen has been told Mercedes rivals will ‘definitely’ be interested in his services if one of their drivers walks away, and it would be a shock move.

There’s also a chance that Verstappen could ‘explode’ about Red Bull’s 2026 car if they fail to correct the issues they have faced with the RB21.

READ MORE: Alex Palou has already revealed how his data compares to Max Verstappen amid Red Bull links

F1 fans tell Max Verstappen to ‘relax’ after ‘close call’ for Red Bull after Dutch Grand Prix practice

Verstappen ‘isn’t better’ than Ayrton Senna or Alain Prost, according to Jacques Villeneuve, who doesn’t think he would stand out in their era.

Unfortunately, he was standing out for all the wrong reasons after FP1 at the Dutch Grand Prix, where he found the gravel following a practice start.

On X (formerly known as Twitter), it has led to quite a response from fans, warning him after the silly incident.

“Close call, Max should relax,” commented one individual, while another agreed, saying, “That was close, even the best can have a shaky moment. Shows how tricky these cars can be.”

“Verstappen living on the edge again,” added someone else, as another fan opted to blame the car for his woes, “Car so trash it got Verstappen in the gravel…”

Another person saw the funny side of it, adding, “[He] practiced how not to start,” and finally, one last fan noticed something unusual about the incident, “Normal from others, weird from him.”

READ MORE: Max Verstappen shares what must get ‘better’ in relationship with new Red Bull boss Laurent Mekies

Red Bull told what Laurent Mekies must do to create success for Max Verstappen

Verstappen is now on his longest run without a podium for seven years, dating back to the final year of Red Bull’s partnership with Renault in 2018.

Since then, he has always been at the front, reaping the fruits of an excellent Honda deal, which helped to transform them into regular title contenders.

Mekies must change Red Bull’s technical department and shift some of his colleagues around if they want to get back to winning ways.

The paddock is aware that the team are in a transformational phase, but resting on their laurels won’t do any good. They have to set about making positive change.