Max Verstappen fired some strong comments towards his Red Bull team after a dismal weekend for the reigning champions at Monza. The Dutchman lost another chunk of points to Lando Norris following a P6 finish.

Verstappen improved from an underwhelming seventh-place grid slot to finish sixth at Ferrari’s home race, but the three-time world champion was unable to extract any extra pace from his RB20.

During the closing stages, he had to give his garage a wake-up call over the radio. “Can the people in the background please be awake?” he fumed. “I know this is a s*** position, but it’s important.”

Verstappen clarified this radio message in an interview with Viaplay after the race. “In the race, my battery was relatively empty while fighting Lando of course,” he explained.

“Then I had to go to a certain setting [and] at some point they have to tell me when I can go back to the quicker setting. I ask: ”Can I go back?”, [and they reply] ‘Oh yeah, yeah you can’.

“Then I thought ”What is this? You guys have all the data the entire time, you guys can exactly see when I can make those steps.’ I shouldn’t have to ask when I can go back.’ We might be in no man’s land, but you still have to be on top of things. Otherwise, I can just stay home.”

Verstappen’s comments should act as a wake-up call for Red Bull, who are trending in the wrong direction with eight races remaining in 2024. Their lead over McLaren was trimmed to eight points on Sunday, and Ferrari have also joined the Constructors’ Championship fight.

The Dutchman’s Drivers’ Championship title is also in danger. With Verstappen now winless in six races, Norris has closed the gap to 62 points, and that margin could have been reduced with a stronger points haul for the McLaren driver.

For Christian Horner, the pressure is on to appease his star driver and turn the situation around with Mercedes and Aston Martin both reportedly targeting his signature for 2026 and beyond.