Red Bull's Verstappen acknowledges the need to improve as rivals close in

Reigning Red Bull champion Max Verstappen has acknowledged the need for his team to improve as they have been overtaken by their F1 rivals. This comes after Red Bull's four-race winless streak, the first since 2020, the season before Verstappen claimed his first world title. Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez finished fourth and seventh respectively at the Belgian Grand Prix, the last round before the sport's summer break.

Verstappen admitted that Red Bull no longer have the fastest car in F1, with McLaren and Mercedes making significant strides this season. “I think they are ahead of us,” said Verstappen. “Sometimes McLaren, sometimes Mercedes. We were faster than Ferrari but coming from P11 we didn't have enough time to overtake them. We know we have work to do.”

Despite recent challenges, Verstappen maintains a comfortable 78-point lead over nearest challenger Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship. However, Red Bull's lead in the Constructors' Championship is under threat, with McLaren trailing by just 42 points.

Verstappen reflected on his fourth-place finish from his grid penalty spot at Spa, stating: “If you start P1 where I qualified, my race probably would have looked very different and then maybe you can challenge for the win. But being stuck in traffic on a track where tire life and tire overheating are quite crucial, it's quite a tricky race.”

Meanwhile, McLaren has been showing consistent performance, with a run of 10 consecutive podiums, its best streak since 2011-2012. Despite this, they insist they don't have the fastest car on every circuit.

Mercedes are also enjoying a successful run, with three wins in the last four race weekends. Lewis Hamilton, who took two of those wins, expressed surprise at his sudden revival and excitement for the second half of the season. “It's really great for the sport to have teams and drivers so close,” Hamilton said. “We didn't expect to compete with the McLarens or the Red Bulls at this point in the season, so now we've closed … it's going to be a second half of the season for sure.”

Formula 1 will resume after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on August 23-25.