Max Verstappen has revealed his Red Bull team has apologised amid a recent run of poor results including five retirements in seven races.
His latest on Sunday in Austria began with a clutch issue that led to a poor start before being caught up in a first corner collision between Daniil Kvyat and Fernando Alonso.
Despite constant reminders that his luck will eventually turn, the Dutchman, who has completed the least race laps of any driver on the grid this year, admits the disappointment is having an effect.
“I actually was reasonably calm but it’s very disappointing of course, what happened,” the 19-year-old said of his reaction after retiring at the Red Bull Ring.
“This way you lose confidence. Not in myself, but in the whole thing I mean, if it keeps on happening. After a while, you think ‘How long can this go on?'”
Asked by Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf what Red Bull boss Christian Horner said upon his return to the pits, Verstappen replied: “What did they say? Sorry, sorry, sorry. That should not happen.”
Following up, the 19-year-old claimed the team is aware of his current feelings.
“Yes, I have told them clearly I am not happy, but I think they see that already,” he said. “I no longer think about the world championship, but having good individual races.”
Though rejecting any speculation the current situation could lead to him leaving Red Bull, Verstappen is adamant the overall performance must improve.
“We have a contract and I think the team can do a good job,” he told Italian publication Autosprint.
“But the whole package must be able to get results. I think, at the moment, that is not the case. We can see clearly that we are not the fastest on the straight.”
As for the rest of the season, he concluded: “It is absolutely not a good time and I am very disappointed. But it will be important to continue to push everyone forward because there are still a lot of races.”