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Verstappen angry to be “competing” with Alonso on retirements

Red Bull’s Max Verstappen says it’s “unbelievable” that he’s vying with McLaren’s Fernando Alonso for the highest number of retirements during F1 2017.

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Sam Bloxham / Motorsport Images

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing on a motorcycle after retiring
Valtteri Bottas, Mercedes AMG F1 W08, Kimi Raikkonen, Ferrari SF70H, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB13, Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB13, Fernando Alonso, McLaren MCL32, Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM10
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB13, Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB13, Fernando Alonso, McLaren MCL32, Nico Hulkenberg, Renault Sport F1 Team RS17, Esteban Ocon, Sahara Force India F1 VJM10, Sergio Perez, Sahara Force India F1 VJM10. Kevin Magnussen, Haas F1 Team VF-17, Jolyon Palmer, Renault Sport F1 Team RS17. and Romain Grosjean, Haas F1 Team VF-17. at the start
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing on a motorcycle after retiring
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB13, Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB13 and Fernando Alonso, McLaren MCL32
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB13, Daniel Ricciardo, Red Bull Racing RB13
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing after retiring

Verstappen was forced out of an early fifth place in the Belgian Grand Prix due to a cylinder failure in his Renault internal combustion engine, which ensures he remains bottom of the drivers in the ‘big three’ teams.

It was his sixth DNF of the season, and also raises the likelihood of a grid penalty for the next race at Monza. Two of Verstappen's retirements have been for collisions, with all seven of Alonso's being for mechanical reasons.

“It’s now 50 per cent of the races [ended] in retirement,” Verstappen told NBC. “It’s unbelievable, like I said on the radio, I just can’t believe that those things happen. 

“Of course, in the beginning, you say maybe it’s just bad luck or whatever, [but] I’m actually competing against Fernando in terms of retirements. It’s unbelievable, I’m not happy at all.

“I am very disappointed for retiring and [for] the fans who buy an expensive ticket to watch and I retire after eight laps. No words.”

When asked if this might influence his future plans, and whether he’d consider leaving Red Bull Racing to find a more reliable car, he replied: “To be honest, I’m not even thinking about that, we just need to solve it within the team. Because for a top team those things can’t happen. 

“I’m not too worried about the future, what’s happening next year, I just want to finish races and have good results. We worked very hard all weekend, and then again you just retire.

“The results are not happening, so you don’t care about next year or the year after at this time.

“We need to talk. We will always talk about [it]; at the moment I am not a happy person and I look forward to going home.”

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