Max Verstappen has moved to put Red Bull's performance at the Dutch Grand Prix into perspective, arguing the team cannot conjure "magic" solutions to its issues with the RB22.
The four-time drivers' champion was battling illness all weekend at likely his final trip to Zandvoort in F1, with the circuit dropping from the calendar for next season. And he endured a torrid time of things on track too.
Having only been able to muster sixth in the sprint, Verstappen suffered a heavy crash at the final corner on the first racing lap of the grand prix in treacherous conditions, ending his afternoon and bringing out the red flag.
Whilst the Dutchman was okay, it was a disappointing way to bid farewell to his home race.
Upon returning to the paddock, the 28-year-old shared his relief at the off-week before F1 returns at Monza for the Italian Grand Prix.
"I've not been feeling well, so I'm just looking forward to a week's break where I can just recover, because I really haven't been feeling good," Verstappen told media, including RacingNews365.
Reflecting on the situation at the Milton Keynes-based squad, the Red Bull driver, who has recently put pen to paper on an extension until the end of 2030, was keen to stress that underwhelming results were part of the "reality" of the team's current plight — even if Liam Lawson did secure an impressive seventh-place finish as the stand-in for injured Isack Hadjar.
"I wish for more, but you need to be realistic," the 71-time grand prix winner added. "This season we are the fourth-fastest team, so it's not like rocking up to Zandvoort, suddenly we can do some magic things. It's just how it is.
"Other teams have brought upgrades; we haven't. When you're already on the back foot, it puts you even more on the back foot.
"So it's nothing surprising; it's just the reality that we live in."
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