Former Formula 1 driver Christian Danner was surprised that Max Verstappen is not "looking more critically" at his team, Red Bull Racing. Contrary to the past four years, Max Verstappen is not in contention for the title for the time being in 2025, with the Dutchman himself having repeatedly stated that he 'was not competing for the championship anyway.'
Since his record-breaking title win in 2023, there has not been as much dominance for Verstappen or Red Bull, with a turbulent 2024 and 2025 affecting the team. Then, a seismic decision was made that saw
Christian Horner leave his role as team principal,
fired from the role he had held for over 20 years.
Helmut Marko
has not given up hope completely, with the Austrian advisor to the Red Bull team stating that improvements will come during the next race weekend at the Belgian Grand Prix. This is why Marko has also indicated that he and his team do not see the fight for the world championship as already decided.
Max Verstappen in conversation with Helmut Marko - Red Bull Contentpool
Praise and criticism for Verstappen
Verstappen currently sits 69 points behind championship leader Oscar Piastri in the title race, and that is a margin that Danner can't believe the talent of the Dutchman has after 12 races in 2025.
“He is in a class of his own,” Danner began in conversation with Sport.de. “What surprises me, though, is that he is still not looking more critically at the technical approach of his team."
“If the car is reasonably good, Max will manage somehow. But how much easier would it be for Verstappen if the team would give him a car that not only performs well in a small window, but over the entire circuit.”
This is a problem Red Bull has had for a long time, as Verstappen has often pointed out. The window in which Red Bull operates is very small. The car's setup has to be just right. As a result, it is so far a season with ups and downs for the Dutchman.