Max Verstappen unhappy with Red Bull F1 strategy: “It differed from what we agreed beforehand”

Max Verstappen (Red Bull Racing) said after finishing third in the United States Grand Prix that the tire strategy adopted by the team differed from what had been agreed beforehand. He battled Charles Leclerc for second place early in the race but ultimately failed to hold the position. In comments after the race, Verstappen questioned the decisions, including the tire choices. He reflected that the strategy had not made it an “enjoyable race” for him.

Verstappen was called into the pits on lap 14 for new soft tires, followed by a second pit stop on lap 31 to switch to mediums. However, he said the choice to fit soft tires again at the first pit stop had not been part of the prior discussions, and suggested that the team may have deviated from the agreement. He explained, “I don’t know how it ended up that way,” and said the team needed to review how the strategy had unfolded.

He was also dissatisfied that hard tires could not be used and that his teammate Hadjar was given hard tires. In addition, he pointed to problems with the power unit's behavior that had continued since qualifying, saying the car's behavior remained inconsistent during the race and that the engine braking and gear shifts lacked stability. Verstappen said he could not predict the car's behavior during the race and summed up the weekend overall as “not a good weekend.”

Regarding his third-place podium finish, he acknowledged that the introduction of the VSC had helped him hold the position, but expressed dissatisfaction, saying that “third place doesn’t make much difference.” The negative aspects of the race as a whole stood out. He also said he had assessed the battle with Leclerc cautiously and had not resisted unnecessarily. He indicated that the weekend had presented many challenges in both strategy and the car's behavior.