Verstappen’s new ’bad boy’ moment ’will pass’

Just as Red Bull’s internal leadership power struggle and internal conflict looked settled, Max Verstappen has thrown a big spanner in the gears.

The triple world champion’s foul and ever-worsening mood over the Hungarian GP weekend was conspicuous, amid persistent rumours that he’s not even definitely committed to the team beyond 2025.

Dutch media reported that a tweaked ’Verstappen clause’ in mentor Dr Helmut Marko’s Red Bull contract essentially removes the 26-year-old’s ability to jump ship before his 2028 contract expires.

Marko denies it.

"No, it is certainly not the case that Max will definitely stay now because I have a different contract," he told ORF. "It is my contract that has been adjusted, not his.

"In what way it has been adjusted, I am of course not going to discuss in public. But it has no direct consequences for Verstappen."

On the face of it, Verstappen’s bad mood and verbal outbursts in Hungary could simply be about declining car performance and what he described as a "sh*t strategy" on Sunday.

"The return of ’bad boy’ Max Verstappen," declared De Limburger newspaper. "Nervous, childish and the best at complaining."

One theory is that Verstappen simply didn’t get enough sleep, having stayed up until almost 3.30am on race-day morning doing a long-distance sim race stint.

Marko rejects that theory too.

"I don’t remember what time Max went to bed in Imola - I think it was even later - but he still won the race," he said. "Max has a completely different daily routine than me or normal people."

Some think the world championship leader has simply forgotten what it’s like to no longer easily dominate Formula 1 - as he did in 2022 and, to an even larger degree, last year.

"Verstappen has lost his composure," former F1 driver Christian Danner told Bild newspaper. "When you have a car that you can always drive at the front with, you are relaxed. But now he just has to grit his teeth and fight again.

"He quickly becomes uncomfortable - and it then erupts in the emotions that we saw and heard in the race. On the one hand, it is of course very entertaining, but in the current situation, it is not very funny for the team.

"To describe his strategy department as a failure is a bold move," Danner added. "They are all real experts. In 99 out of 100 cases, Red Bull’s strategies are perfect. The way he spoke about it is counterproductive."

Former F1 team boss Gunther Steiner, however, tips Verstappen to bounce back soon.

"If you’re used to dominating for as long as Max did, you have to get used to being the pursuer again," he said. "This will pass and then we’ll see Max at his best as a fighter again."

When asked if a triple world champion should behave better, Steiner added: "Not everyone is the same and Max is still young."

Indeed, after Verstappen blamed Lewis Hamilton for their Hungary collision, it was the latter who extended his fellow champion a handshake in the interview ’pen’.

"I broke the ice rather than just walk past him," the seven time world champion said. "I thought that was the respectful thing.

"I have no problem and think it was a racing incident. He sent it down the inside, it didn’t work out, we move on."

Marko agrees that the only way forward for Verstappen and Red Bull is to work harder.

"The car doesn’t have the balance or the confidence that Max needs, or let me put it this way, we can’t manage on our own to be in front at the moment," he said.

"But we are leading in both world championships - it’s not as if everything is lost. The lead is not reassuring, but it is there. So we have to work harder - more has to come.

"We cannot afford to make any mistakes, otherwise the McLarens will be there."