Max Verstappen criticised for key Azerbaijan Grand Prix error he can’t blame Red Bull for

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Even though he finished inside the top five, Max Verstappen endured a tough race at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix as he battled with the setup of his Red Bull.

The Dutchman could be heard complaining about his “uncontrollable” Red Bull as he struggled to progress further up the field, in stark contrast to his performances earlier in the year.

Former F1 driver Jaques Villeneuve said it was a ‘strange’ situation for Verstappen, having hardly heard him speak to his engineer about strategy.

Max Verstappen was promoted late into the race following a collision between teammate Sergio Perez and Carlos Sainz after the pair battled for the final podium spot on the penultimate lap.

His championship rival Norris finished in fourth after a late pit stop enabled him to catch Verstappen in the final laps comfortably. Discussing his form, former F1 driver Marc Surer explained one reason why he should be criticised when speaking to Motorsport-Total.

Max Verstappen made his car worse with setup

Verstappen started the season strongly but has now just taken one podium in the last five races, as the RB20 proves to be a difficult car to set up.

The Dutchman made adjustments overnight between Friday and Saturday which appeared to make him slower, as Perez out-qualified him for the first time this season by three-tenths.

These problems seemed to carry over into the race for Verstappen, who complained that the rear of his car was jumping at low speed.

“The superstar is crumbling. In addition to the moderate driving performance, one must also criticise that he has probably worsened the tuning of his car,” said Surer.

McLaren overtakes Red Bull in Constructors’ Championship

Verstappen’s fifth-place finish along with Perez’s DNF meant that McLaren significantly outscored Red Bull by 38 points to 10 points, meaning the lead in the Constructors’ Championship swung in their favour.

McLaren now leads Red Bull by 20 points while Norris cut Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers’ title to just 59 points heading into the final seven races of the season.

Red Bull appeared to show signs of success with Perez before his crash, which will offer them some encouragement that their problems can be rectified.

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With both Ferrari and McLaren now emerging as favourites to challenge for victories, Red Bull must consistently finish inside the top five if they want to hold off the threat of potentially dropping to third in the Constructors’ Championship.

If Red Bull’s form continues to worsen into 2025, it could see Verstappen activate an exit clause in his contract that states he must be within the ‘top three’ as a minimum.