Verstappen issues ‘deserved more’ claim after Red Bull ‘didn’t panic’

Max Verstappen feels Red Bull “deserved a little bit more” than third place in the constructors’ championship in 2024 after the team “didn’t panic” as it started to struggle.

Having won the title in consecutive years, the Milton Keynes squad fell behind McLaren and Ferrari, despite the Dutchman securing a fourth successive F1 drivers’ crown.

The 27-year-old reflected on the “up and down” year at the FIA’s end-of season awards ceremony when accepting the trophy for his latest title.

Having began the campaign in the same imperious form it enjoyed throughout 2023, Red Bull soon started to encounter difficulties with the RB20, a car that proved to be a far cry from it’s predecessor.

Simultaneously, McLaren, Ferrari and then Mercedes made ground, significantly reducing the once ominous performance gap.

That saw Verstappen go 10 rounds without a grand prix victory between Spain and Brazil, as Lando Norris whittled down his once-great championship advantage.

Whilst the 63-time grand prix winner prevailed, his team did not amid Sergio Perez’s torrid form. As the RB20 became more difficult to balance and set-up, the 34-year-old’s performance and results cratered, something that means Verstappen is likely to be partnered with a new team-mate in 2025.

Nevertheless, the four-time F1 drivers’ champion feels the team “really stuck together” through the difficulties.

“This season, as you could see also in the video [season recap shown on stage], was quite up and down,” Verstappen said at the end-of-season FIA prize-giving gala. “We had a great start to the year. Everything was looking great, especially from the outside.

“As a team, you always understand your limitations and what you want to work on, and then the competition did a great job, they improved their cars a lot and made it a lot more difficult for us, especially in the constructors’.

“We had a bit of a tough run in the middle of the season, but even when we were under pressure, we were having tough times, I think the team really stuck together. We didn’t panic, which could easily be done in those kind of situations.”

Due to the extent of Perez’s wayward form, Verstappen and Red Bull could not prevent it being overhauled in the constructors’.

It ended the year 77 points behind McLaren and 63 adrift of Ferrari, even though it had nine wins to its oppositions’ six and five, respectively. Verstappen maintained that third is perhaps not entirely representative of the season at large.

“But at the end of the day, I’m just very proud, very proud of everyone in the team as well,” he added. “Of course, we’re not standing here as a constructors’ champions, but in a way, I do think we deserved a little bit more in that championship.

“I tried my very best, and we also know a lot what we have to work on for next year, and I’m very excited about that as well, because it does look like it’s going to be a proper fight between a lot of teams.”