Formula 1 star Max Verstappen, once a dominant force on the track, is struggling to maintain the superiority that has characterised his last few seasons. The Dutchman, who has grown accustomed to racing at the front of the pack, has seen his form dip, most recently in Monza, where he failed to win a sixth consecutive Grand Prix.
Two-time world champion Mika Hakkinen has weighed in on the issue, offering his insight into what could be behind Red Bull’s and Verstappen’s recent lack of form.
A dip in dominance
In the fast-paced and fiercely competitive world of Formula 1, maintaining dominance season after season is no easy feat, and Max Verstappen has been an anomaly for years, consistently outperforming his rivals. However, the tide seems to have turned, with the Dutchman failing to secure a single victory in his last six Grand Prix races, with his latest setback coming at the Italian Grand Prix in Monza.
Verstappen’s recent performance is in stark contrast to his previous form, leaving him vulnerable in the championship standings. He may still lead the standings with 303 points, but his advantage has dwindled considerably. His rivals – Lando Norris on 241 points, Charles Leclerc on 217 and Oscar Piastri on 191 – are all closing in, a far cry from earlier in the season when Verstappen looked unstoppable.
The question on everyone’s mind is simple: What has changed for Verstappen and Red Bull? Former F1 world champion Mika Hakkinen believes the recent dip in form is part of a wider, more predictable trend. For Häkkinen, Verstappen’s hegemony was always going to come to an end.
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Hakkinen’s take: a logical slowdown
Mika Häkkinen, a man who knows all too well the pressures of maintaining peak performance, sees Verstappen’s recent struggles as a natural progression. According to the Finnish champion, the sheer intensity and focus that Verstappen has displayed in recent years has made him an exceptional competitor, but it has also been unsustainable in the long run.
“Verstappen has been incredible for several years in a row, and of course before that in the lower categories before Formula 1,” explained Hakkinen in a recent interview.
“He has incredible talent, works hard and is a disciplined driver. In Formula 1 he has been very successful. At the beginning of his adventure with Red Bull, his performances and will to win seemed to me to be superior to those of the others. I felt he took more risks than the others because he said he wanted to win.”
Hakkinen points out that Verstappen’s drive and risk-taking were clear factors that set him apart from his rivals. However, he also acknowledges that this level of performance and hunger for victory can only be maintained for so long before the inevitable decline in form sets in.
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Red Bull’s internal struggles
While many may see Verstappen’s recent string of failures as purely down to his performance, Hakkinen is quick to point out that success in Formula One depends on much more than just the talent of the driver. It’s the entire ecosystem of team, car and management working in harmony that leads to victory – and, according to Häkkinen, Red Bull failed to maintain that balance in 2023.
“This year was a turning point, not necessarily for his personal performance. But to be successful you need a team, a car, personal commitment and discipline to win races. So far this year Max has struggled,” said Hakkinen, taking a broader view of the current situation.
Hakkinen attributes some of Verstappen’s struggles to internal issues within Red Bull, including “politics or conflicts within the team” that may be disrupting the smooth running that has driven their success in the past. He notes that while everything seemed to be going well at the start of the year, cracks have started to show and Verstappen has felt the effects.
Red Bull’s design and engineering mastermind, Adrian Newey, has also reportedly taken a step back from his usual involvement with the team, a move that Hakkinen believes has had a significant impact on their performance.
“The driver has to have clear ideas all the time, focus on the race, fitness, mental strength, and when the team has problems… Adrian Newey, the great designer, leaving the team – all this affects Max’s performance,” he added.
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The challenge ahead: “it couldn’t continue”
It’s clear that the once unstoppable Red Bull-Verstappen pairing is facing its toughest challenge yet. With other teams catching up in terms of car development and performance, Red Bull’s recent stagnation in innovation has made it harder for Verstappen to maintain his edge.
Hakkinen acknowledges this, stating, “Now we’ve seen that Red Bull’s development isn’t as fast as other teams.”
For Verstappen, the road ahead will be one that tests his resilience. While his excellent start to the season has kept him at the front of the pack for now, it’s becoming clear that the road to continued success won’t be as smooth as it once was. With rivals nipping at his heels and his team facing internal challenges, Verstappen’s hold on the championship could slip if these issues aren’t addressed quickly.
As F1 enters the critical final stretch of the season, all eyes will be on Verstappen and Red Bull. Can they recover and regain their dominance, or has the rest of the grid finally caught up? Only time will tell, but one thing is certain: the road to success, as Hakkinen warned, “can’t continue at the relentless pace we’ve come to expect from Verstappen”.
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There is no doubt of his talent, but I think he does need a change of scenery. As a die-hard Red Bull fan, I would hate to see him go, but like a rocky marriage, just trying to make it work always ends in disaster.
Maybe a move to Mercedes or even Aston Martin is the answer. Time will tell. One thing is for sure, it has made for a fascinating season, I hope Max wins it for Red Bull, but if it is to be someone else, who better than Lando?
Teams come and go, I was always a lotus fan as I live near the factory but I saw them disappear, Williams, McLaren, Mercedes,Benetton and of course Ferrari have all dominated. But it’s a small incestuous industry, most of it based here in the UK and it’s easy for a few guys to feel aggrieved and move on to change the team dynamic.
But you also need to remember that Max has been driving for around 20 years. And the intensity builds up until it peeks in F1. Training every day as well as time entertaining sponsors and media obligations must really make you feel jaded at times.