The situation at Red Bull has deteriorated further, with Jos Verstappen, father of Max Verstappen, openly criticising the ongoing crisis within the team's management.
McLaren has now clearly established itself as the new powerhouse in Formula 1, with Verstappen trailing Lando Norris to the finish line at Zandvoort, a significant 23 seconds behind.
"It's reminiscent of Max and Lewis (Hamilton)'s best periods," remarked Mercedes boss Toto Wolff.
The points gap has now narrowed to 70 points, with nine races remaining—one of the additional points for Norris on Sunday came from the fastest lap.
"Norris set the fastest time on the last lap without DRS, with a 1.13.8," said Red Bull consultant Dr Helmut Marko. "We could only dream of that."
"We have a lot of work to do because this 70-point lead is not enough with nine races to go," he told Servus TV. "The difference here was so big that it's alarming. Nine more second places will not be enough."
Fernando Alonso was so impressed by McLaren's performance that, after getting out of his Aston Martin in parc ferme, he spent noticeable time closely examining the McLaren, even lying down to get a better look.
"You always try to be inspired by whoever is dominating," said the Spaniard. "We all have to learn from them."
"They keep introducing improvements that really work, while Red Bull introduce new things and they have made things worse. The result is 22 seconds at the finish line."
As Red Bull's troubles deepen, Jos Verstappen—who has been openly considering a possible move to Mercedes for Max—has again voiced his concerns.
"Over 20 seconds is a huge disappointment," he told Bild newspaper, "but that's not surprising when you reverse engineer the car."
Indeed, at Zandvoort, Red Bull's car was a mix of old and new parts, as engineers tried to pinpoint where the season went wrong.
"That says it all," Verstappen senior insists. "The team has taken the wrong turn several times. Internally, they should hold up a mirror and not always sugarcoat everything."
"It's time—if it's not already too late—to question themselves. The good people are leaving the team. I'm very unhappy with what's happening because Max cannot be happy with a car like this."
"Now it is up to (Christian) Horner to get the team back on track. I'll be surprised if he does. A lot has to happen for that. The whole spirit has to change."
