Verstappen's statements don't go down well: 'That's hard on his team'

Max Verstappen was disappointed after the Australian Grand Prix following his second retirement in three races. Damon Hill believes Verstappen is handling the setbacks well, but Tom Clarkson thinks otherwise.

RB18 is not reliable

After winning his first world title in 2021, the pressure is slightly off for Verstappen, but that does not mean that the Dutchman is now content with a spot away from the spotlight. The reigning world champion wants to win races and titles, so it was hard to swallow the fact that he was sidelined with a problem again at Albert Park.

In the F1 Nation Podcast Hill praised the Red Bull driver: "I think Max is coping well," said the 1996 world champion. Verstappen was unhappy about the retirement afterwards and called it unacceptable, but Hill thinks it can be done. Reporter Clarkson, however, does not agree.

Angry Verstappen

"Max was an angry man after the race in Melbourne. Using the word unacceptable is pretty hard on your team, everyone has been working around the clock. He said he didn't need updates, just reliability and 'I'll do the rest'. He's probably not wrong, but if I was Christian Horner I would be asking him to throttle back a little bit," Clarkson said.

Although Clarkson understands that it must be frustrating for Verstappen to have a car that has broken down twice, he is mainly taking it out on the team's staff. Since winning the world title in 2021, they have worked hard to be competitive again in 2022 and will not be happy with Verstappen's statements.