Advisor Dr. Helmut Marko has openly acknowledged that Red Bull "urgently" needs the approaching Formula 1 summer break.
Over the weekend in Hungary, Max Verstappen's irritation was not only evident but escalated into outright anger during and after the race.
On Sunday, as McLaren led the race, Verstappen's dissatisfaction with his car's performance and strategy became increasingly vocal, culminating in a heated clash on the track with Lewis Hamilton.
Following their collision, which demoted Verstappen to fifth place, Hamilton remarked to journalists, "I don't feel there should be any hostility. But of course, from his side, there always will be."
Ralf Schumacher criticized Verstappen's radio communications, which were labeled "childish" by his own engineer, as "embarrassing."
"He should be happy that he could still drive at all," commented the German following Verstappen's airborne mishap.
Normally, Verstappen openly vents his frustrations via the radio, yet maintains support for his team. However, his criticisms of Red Bull Racing in Hungary were persistent.
"I said on Saturday that there are people who are not aware that we need more performance in the car," Verstappen noted. "Certain people in our team need to question themselves. Too many mistakes are being made. I still don't understand the strategy."
Marko attempted to ease the tensions, admitting, "It's clear that the botched race strategy was our mistake. All simulations gave a different delta for how big the difference between old and new tyres would be," he explained to ORF.
"I haven't come across Max yet, but he knows that this can happen."
Marko expressed understanding of Verstappen's frustrations, however advised that it is "not necessary to do this via the radio."
Nico Rosberg, the 2016 world champion, criticized Verstappen for his unprofessional behavior, noting he stayed up until almost 3:30 am on Sunday engaging in a long-distance sim race.
Verstappen responded to his detractors stating, "they can all f**k off."
Rosberg observed to Sky Deutschland, "It's an interesting dynamic. The longer the weekend went on, the more annoyed Max became. On the team radio, messages were coming across that were almost below the belt."
Schumacher concurred, "Tempers have to calm down. Max has to think about it and then they have to find a way out of the hole together."
With the summer break imminent after this weekend's Belgian GP at Spa, Marko conveyed its necessity, saying, "We urgently need this break."
"In the first three races we thought we would have exactly the same season as last year, but then there was a sudden turnaround," he added. "Max is not used to this, and we are not used to having to fight so hard with our opponents.
"Of course, the fans and the press like this kind of fight, but we have to endure it and cope with the situation. It is clear that we cannot afford to make even the slightest mistake anymore."
