Verstappen: I couldn't do anything

The triple Formula 1 Champion lost his stranglehold on the top step of the podium of the Dutch GP, as Lando Norris beat him emphatically after also denying him pole in qualifying on Saturday, and by a considerable margin.

Credit to the Dutchman, he did have a perfect start to the race, beating Norris off the line but failed to build a gap, as the latter soon reeled the #1 Red Bull RB20 in taking the lead and keeping it till the end of the race.

"I'm not surprised with how my feeling was in the car," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1 after the race. "I couldn't do anything. Everything I tried to do...I said it during the race [over team radio], whatever I do with the car, the inputs are not really translating.

"When I steer left, it doesn't feel like it does immediately. Or it just doesn't turn how I want to. It's very complicated to understand that why that is and how we fix that.

"The positive was the start but quite early on in that stint, Lando was waiting for the opportunity. I degged a bit and couldn't make the tyres work.

"He came by and from that point onwards, I was focused on bring it to the end in the best possible position," Verstappen concluded.

Red Bull boss Christian Horner admitted McLaren had the better car on the day insisting there was nothing more the team or Verstappen could do.

He said: "McLaren were in a different league today. We did everything we could. Max turned P2 into a lead but their pace was in a different league.

"We have plenty of work to do but we have learned some valuable lessons this weekend. Time to digest and bounce back in Monza.

"We still have a comfortable lead in the Drivers' Championhip but a chunk of points has come off the Constructors' so we have to respond.

"I am confident we have the strength to do that," Horner concluded.

McLaren have edged closer to Red Bull in the 2024 F1 Constructors' Championship, as the gap between the two teams is not just 30 points with nine races remaining.