MOTORSPORT: Max-imum frustration at Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen has gone public with what his Red Bull Racing teammate Daniel Ricciardo is too tactful to say. The 19-year-old Verstappen, F1’s youngest Grand Prix winner, says racing the Renault-powered Red Bull RB13 this season has been: “completely crap”.

“We want to go for the world title this year, but we are far from it,” Verstappen told Dutch broadcaster Ziggo Sport following last weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix.

Verstappen claims Red Bull has improved the chassis since the start of the season and the problem remains Renault’s powerplant which, in the four years of V6 hybrids, has never genuinely been a match for those of Mercedes-Benz and Ferrari.

Renault has poignantly cautioned there is “no magic bullet” for improvements at the remaining 13 GPs this year.

Verstappen hinted he could be getting itchy feet and a switch to either Ferrari or Mercedes could be on the cards – perhaps as soon as next year – if Renault can’t deliver what is needed.

“I’m worried also for the direction for next year [with Renault],” Verstappen said. “I want to win, and I absolutely think this team (Red Bull Racing) can. You can see we have improved the car (chassis) a lot, but the power is yet to come.”

While Ricciardo – the global ambassador for carsales.com.au – has been on the podium at the past three GPs, he too is frustrated, but is more measured and prefers to work with the team, out of the public eye, to try to improve things.

Verstappen jumped from fifth on the grid in Montreal to second within a couple of hundred metres, but was sidelined after 10 laps with an electrical failure and he is blunt in his criticism.

Further bad news for Verstappen, Ricciardo and Red Bull Racing is confirmation there won’t be any major upgrade from Renault for next weekend’s race in Baku, Azerbaijan.

Frictions have long been intense between the team and its power unit supplier, often boiling over in public. Renault Sport Racing managing director, Mr Cyril Abiteboul, says Red Bull falsely created the impression big changes were on the way with its V6 – which is badged TAG-Heuer rather than Renault when installed in the RB13.

“It was Red Bull who said that there would be an upgrade [in Baku],” Abiteboul told Formula1.com. “There are upgrades permanently – every single race we are making some small improvements.

“Last year we created a huge expectation and we came with an upgrade that had a big impact. But we can’t repeat that every year.

“Now it is all about constant improvements which overall will make a difference – but there is no magic bullet. Every race the engine will become more and more reliable with the program on the dyno progressing.

“Frankly the next big upgrade will be next year. Then we will have a completely new concept. That will make a difference – but, as I said, 2018.”

Verstappen said: “Updates were promised, but there have been few.”

As for his rapid getaway in Montreal, Verstappen claimed: “ (it was) great – I think it was the best start that they ever had at Red Bull – but in the end you are left empty-handed, so that sucks tremendously.

“I could have finished second or third,

“The whole season has already been crap, with everything.”

Ricciardo currently sits fifth in the drivers’ world championship with 67 points, ahead of Verstappen who is sixth on 45.

Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel leads with 141 points, from Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton on 129, while Valtteri Bottas (Mercedes) is on 93 and Kimi Raikkonen (Ferrari) is fifth with 73.

Currently Verstappen and Ricciardo remain contracted to Red Bull Racing for next year, but Ferrari and Mercedes could both have a vacancy. Speculation says 37-year-old Raikkonen’s days at Ferrari are numbered, however Bottas has a stronger claim to be retained at Merc.

Ferrari, in particular, could fund the contract payout required to extricate either Verstappen or Ricciardo from Red Bull should it move to replace Raikkonen.

Stewards penalised Kyvat for failing to get away on time for the formation lap, although he ultimately caught up to the pack and reclaimed his 11th place on the grid in time for the start.

At first, he was given a drive-through penalty, but the stewards later decided he should have been handed a 10-second penalty and this needed to be served at his next pitstop.

Kyvat swore over his radio at the decision and later said: “Another penalty, like it’s a joke, right? I mean, what are we doing?

“And I get two points on my licence, which again is a stupid rule.

“We are taxi drivers here? Or F1 drivers? I don’t understand this. It’s a circus, a stupid f…ing circus!

“It’s really annoying me. A simple job. They can’t do it properly.”

The four stewards in Montreal included Australian Garry Connelly, who has been a Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) steward and observer since 1989 and in recent years has regularly chaired the panel at GPs. Among many roles, Connelly is the chairman of the Australian Motorsport Hall of Fame.

Another of the stewards in Canada was Irish-born, US-based former F1 driver Derek Daly.

Kyvat said he intended to take up his complaint with FIA race director Charlie Whiting at next week’s race in Baku.