2024 brought Max Verstappen his fourth World Championship, but not without difficulties. The Dutchman silenced critics who claimed, “He only wins because of the car,” by securing the Drivers’ Title with the third-strongest car on the grid, showcasing great maturity after making mistakes in the summer when he struggled to adapt to the car’s limitations.
Against all odds, Red Bull found themselves unable to dial in the ideal setup for weeks, forcing the engineers in Milton Keynes to overhaul their plans in search of solutions. “All the plans for future components were at risk of being scrapped. The team basically had to start over. At first, they couldn’t pinpoint the exact issue,” revealed the 1997-born driver.
Speaking to *De Telegraaf*, Max Verstappen recalled the precise moment during the Monza GP when he realized the gravity of the situation: “At one point, I was looking at some graphs while we analyzed the data. I noticed certain aerodynamic changes in how we entered corners, steered, and even in the ride height. I said, ‘Hey, isn’t it obvious that this is the problem?’ And I was right. I had never seen those lines, those graphs before. Then I pointed out what we needed to work on because the engineers obviously know exactly what was adjusted compared to last year’s car.
At the start of last season, we won races convincingly, but I already felt that the car’s balance wasn’t what I wanted. However, we still had a significant advantage over other teams, which may not have had a very productive winter.”
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