Christijan Albers has urged Max Verstappen to show greater support for Red Bull as the four-time Formula 1 world champion navigates one of his most difficult seasons in years. The 2026 campaign has placed Max Verstappen in unfamiliar territory, with technical uncertainty and a car that has repeatedly failed to behave the way he wants.
Red Bull effectively started a new technical cycle with a redesigned car and its first internally developed power unit, created with Ford’s support. Max Verstappen has consequently had to contend with reliability problems, frustration and inconsistent results, while the team continues to understand an entirely new package. Against that backdrop, Albers believes the Dutchman should be more measured in his criticism and provide greater public backing to the people around him.
Christijan Albers questions Max Verstappen’s Red Bull communication
Max Verstappen’s first half of the season has been uneven. He has collected four podium finishes, but there have also been retirements, technical problems and a car that has rarely provided the consistency required to fight the leading teams every weekend. Red Bull’s ambitious technical reset was evident even before the season began, when the RB22 attracted attention for its radical design choices.
Speaking on De Telegraaf’s podcast, Christijan Albers acknowledged that Max Verstappen’s directness is one of his strengths. However, the former Formula 1 driver believes that same quality can become a weakness when the wider impact of his words on the team is overlooked.
“Max has many positive sides, but he also has negative sides. You can see it in some of his interviews… There are 22 drivers who want to have the best car and want to win. On the other hand, I also appreciate the fact that he is so open and honest.”
Albers values that honesty but believes such openness can sometimes become too focused on Verstappen’s own situation, overlooking the fact that the other 21 drivers on the grid are pursuing exactly the same objective. The distinction is therefore a subtle but important one: frustration is understandable, but the words of a driver with Verstappen’s stature can carry considerable weight throughout an organisation.
The debate over how Max Verstappen expresses his frustration is not entirely new. Jean Alesi previously offered a different interpretation of Verstappen’s public criticism, viewing his comments as an attempt to push Red Bull towards improvement rather than undermine the team.
Red Bull’s new technical cycle requires unity
The 2026 season represents a profound transition for Red Bull: a new car, new Formula 1 regulations and the team’s first in-house power unit developed with Ford’s support. Such a major technical revolution inevitably requires time and adaptation, while setbacks are part of the process.
When asked whether Max Verstappen should do more to defend Red Bull, Christijan Albers responded with a broader reflection on the challenge facing the team.
“Partly, I think so too. You can also see it with Adrian Newey, because you can’t simply create a basic package from nothing. You have to work with the material you have available. I understand that you can feel frustrated if you’re not going in the direction you have in mind. On the other hand, there are a thousand people working at the factory and maybe seven hundred of them want to go in the same direction as you.”
Albers’ point is ultimately about perspective. Behind every difficult Grand Prix weekend are hundreds of employees working towards the same objective, and the voice of Red Bull’s most prominent driver can influence the atmosphere inside the organisation far beyond the immediate race result.
That dynamic takes on even greater importance while questions continue to surround Red Bull’s longer-term direction and Max Verstappen’s place within it. The Dutchman’s future remains one of the major talking points in the developing 2027 Formula 1 driver market, making the relationship between driver and team particularly significant as Red Bull works through its challenging new technical era.
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