Verstappen: We set up for the wet, we didn't do a wet race

Verstappen and Red Bull Racing started their weekend at Spa Francorchamps with a low downforce setup that allowed the four-time Formula 1 champion to win the Sprint Race on Saturday.

However, and apparently with the nightmare of the British Grand Prix still haunting them, not to mention rain forecast for Sunday's race, Red Bull changed the setup on Verstappen's car ahead of qualifying, adding downforce so it could be more drivable in wet conditions.

But it seems nothing is working for the Dutchman and his team this season. Back at Silverstone they hoped for a dry race, which was not the case, while in Spa, they prepared for a wet race, but it dried up, and most of the racing was done on slick tyres which meant Verstappen couldn't make any progress stuck behind the Ferrari of Charles Leclerc, which was running a low downforce setup.

"Today [Sunday] was quite disappointing, and I think we were a bit unlucky," Verstappen said after the race. "We set up for the wet, and ultimately we didn't do a wet race.

"We were pretty impacted because of the rear wing that we chose and because most of the race was dry. It was cautious, and I felt like we could have done a few laps behind the safety car, and ultimately, we want to make sure we don't miss out on classic races, as we can still have cool wet racing.

"When we went in with the slick tyres, every lap we saw Charles pulling away," the Red Bull ace pointed out. "He locked up in the last chicane, which made it look closer, but ultimately we weren't fast enough.

"The race today does also show some of the weaknesses that we have; it is clear that the upgrades did work, but we are limited in other areas, including general tyre behaviour and management and the balance of the car.

"We tried to do the best that we could today, but we will just have to keep pushing, keep trying to improve, and we will go again," Verstappen concluded.

Red Bull Racing boss Laurent Mekies echoed his star driver's sentiments; he added: "The fact that we got so little wet running today did not help us as a Team.

"We added more downforce prior to Qualifying, in the expectation of a wet race, but we didn't get much racing in it, and for sure, that influenced our race.

"It is part of the game. In the dry there, it was always going to be very difficult for Max to overtake, and he spent every single lap in Charles' gearbox, but ultimately became unlikely we would pass the Ferrari in these conditions."

As for the upgrade the team brought to the RB21, Mekies commented: "A positive is that the Team is happy with the upgrade package.

"There is no question as to whether we brought performance to the car; we absolutely feel we did. Does it fix all the limitations in the car? No, but it is a step forwards."

As for his impressions following his first race at the Red Bull Racing pit wall, Mekies said: "After two weeks at the factory, trying to meet as many people as possible it was nice to be with, and be integrated into the Race Team and enter the race dynamic.

"It was great to see the flow and processes trackside, as you would imagine it is a Team where everything is done at the highest level and I have met a very tight, strong group," the Frenchman concluded.

Despite winning the Sprint Race, Verstappen dropped further back in the F1 Drivers' Championship and is now 81 points behind the leader, Oscar Piastri.