Max Verstappen has explained that the radio call to his Red Bull team to “please be awake” during Formula 1’s Italian Grand Prix concerned a certain settings change.
Red Bull experienced a torrid outing at Monza as Verstappen trailed home in a distant sixth place to see Lando Norris, who came third, cut his advantage to 62 points.
Verstappen’s Red Bull RB20 wasn’t a match to the McLaren MCL38 all weekend, but the Dutchman did encounter Norris on track when the Briton pitted a second time.
With both newer rubber and a quicker package at his disposal, Norris surged past Verstappen’s Red Bull using DRS down the start-finish straight en route to a podium.
A radio conversation involving Verstappen was picked up at that time which appeared to see the reigning champion provide another wake-up call to his Red Bull team.
“Can people in the background please be awake? I know this is a s*** position, but it’s important,” Verstappen issued over the airwaves.
Asked about that comment post-race, Verstappen clarified that he was displeased to have not gotten a call to revert to a quicker setting once his battery had drained.
“It had to do with my battery percentage because there are certain levels you’re at and modes you use,” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week.
“I see it topping up and at one point then maybe you can go into a faster mode, so I asked and they’re like, ‘oh yeah you can’.
“I’m like, ‘come on, this is so obvious things that you need to be on top of’.
“I know I’m not racing anyone but that shouldn’t matter, it’s still an F1 race where you have to maximise everything.”
Red Bull’s blushes were somewhat spared on Italian soil as Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc completed a brilliant one-stop race to overcome both McLaren drivers to the win.
However, Verstappen’s attention was fixated on Red Bull’s ever-dwindling competitiveness, as he expressed that it has turned the most dominant car into a “monster”.
“Last year we had a great car, which was the most dominant car ever, and we basically turned it into a monster, so we have to turn it around,” the Dutchman lamented.
The three-time F1 champion even went as extreme as stating that Red Bull’s predicament has meant retaining his title is “not realistic” despite his seismic points gap.
Asked whether Monza was a damage limitation weekend, Verstappen, who lost eight points, replied: “In a way yes, but that’s not how I like to look at the championship.
“We have to go from our own fortunes, and today, and all weekend has been very bad.”
