Verstappen points finger at RB21 for teammate Tsunoda's disappointing result

Helmut Marko said on Friday afternoon to, among others, GPblog that Tsunoda was going to have a difficult weekend. This is due to the fact that the Japanese driver currently has to drive a different spec of the RB21 than Verstappen, as a result of his crash at the Grand Prix of Imola earlier this month. That Tsunoda would not get further than twentieth position, however, was unforeseen by anyone.

While Tsunoda took a very guilt-conscious approach in his media sessions, and emphasized that this is not the result he should expect of himself, Verstappen pointed in a completely different direction. The four-time world champion lays the blame squarely on the RB21.

When Verstappen appeared for the Dutch press after qualifying, including GPblog, the disappointing result of his teammate of course also came up. "He's no pancake," Verstappen said. “When he was in the Racing Bulls, he always looked pretty good compared to [Isack] Hadjar or Liam [Lawson], of course."

Due to the lack of results on Tsunoda’s part, all the pressure is once again on Verstappen's shoulders. When asked if it hurts extra that it always comes down to him, Max said: "Of course, this has been going on for a long time, maybe that's also a sign."

When asked by GPblog if Tsunoda's results show how bad the RB21 currently is, Verstappen was very clear: "It's difficult, yes. But I think Yuki feels that way at the moment too.” A lot of understanding for his teammate, and without saying it explicitly, actually a lot of criticism of the RB21.