Helmut Marko has warned that Max Verstappen could eventually run out of patience with Red Bull if their reliability issues are not fixed as a matter of urgency over the coming weeks. The Dutchman has been forced to retire from two out of three Grands Prix since the start of the new season and currently occupies sixth place in the Drivers’ Championship standings as a result of his early misfortune.
Verstappen won the only race that he did not retire from in Saudi Arabia but now finds himself well adrift of Charles Leclerc at the top of the order due to Red Bull’s recent lack of reliability. The 24-year-old has gained a reputation for being hot-headed over the course of his F1 career and Marko is wary that he could lose his temper if the Austrian outfit are unable to put things right in the not-too-distant future .
“He is a lot calmer [now than he used to be],” Marko told Austrian broadcaster ORF when quizzed on Verstappen. “After his retirement [in Australia] he returned to the pit box and we discussed things calmly.
“However, in this case, we knew we could run into that problem, because we also had to deal with that in qualifying, so it didn’t come out of the blue in that regard. He is an emotional and passionate driver who will always give his opinion.
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“But, in my view, he is a lot calmer, calmer than in the past. If we don’t win again soon, then he is indeed a time bomb!”
It remains to be seen whether Red Bull’s underlying issues will have been fixed by the time F1 returns to the track for this weekend’s Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. Verstappen won last year’s race ahead of Lewis Hamilton but will simply be hoping to complete all 63 laps at the next time of asking in order to make it to the finish line without being forced to retire.
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It seems as though the defending champion will have a mountain to climb over the coming weeks and months in order to claim the end-of-season honors once again at the end of the year. He recently admitted that he will not stand any chance of winning another Drivers’ Championship title in the near future if he is unable to finish races on a regular basis for the rest of the season.
“At the moment, there is no reason to believe in it,” he said after his latest retirement in Melbourne. “We need to be faster than them [Ferrari]which we’re not.
“And have zero problems with the car, which we also don’t have. So it’s going to be a big task.”
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