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Verstappen battles it alone amid performance crisis

The Straits Times

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April 20, 2025

Ailing Red Bull arrive for this weekend's Saudi Arabian Grand Prix in Jeddah desperate to prevent their 2025 season sinking into mediocrity.

Verstappen battles it alone amid performance crisis

JEDDAH -

The Austrian Formula One giants left Bahrain last week in sombre mood, their limitations laid bare under the harsh floodlights in the desert of Sakhir.

Here are the issues that threaten to derail Max Verstappen's quest for a fifth successive world title.

THE STATE OF PLAY Verstappen slipped to third in the drivers' standings - eight points behind McLaren's leader Lando Norris - after finishing in sixth and over half a minute behind Norris' teammate Oscar Piastri who won in Bahrain.

The 27-year-old Dutchman has accounted for all bar two of the team's tally in the constructors' championship where they are lagging a massive 80 points behind runaway leaders McLaren after just four races.

CRISIS TALKS As McLaren celebrated their third win from four in Sakhir, Red Bull convened a crisis meeting involving their top brass.

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