Palmer warns of “bogey run” for Red Bull as F1 returns at Zandvoort
The beaches are quiet again, the factories are awake, and the orange army is warming up. Formula 1 rolls back into Zandvoort this weekend, but if you’re expecting Max Verstappen to flick a switch and end his drought, Jolyon Palmer isn’t convinced the calendar is about to do Red Bull any favours.
Verstappen hasn’t won since Imola in May, a seven‑race stretch that’s his longest barren run since 2020. Speaking on the F1 Nation podcast, Palmer pointed to a cluster of circuits on the horizon that haven’t recently flattered Red Bull.
“I think it should be okay around there,” he said of Zandvoort. “I don’t see it being one of their better tracks. Not like the Silverstone coup of getting on pole position.
“Problem is, when I look at the calendar now for Red Bull, I’m seeing a lot of sort of bogey tracks for them coming up with Monza, with Singapore, and Baku, which sort of played out last year as well. The low-speed performance isn’t great on that car. They love the fast stuff and Zandvoort is kind of in the middle of it.”
That’s the crux. Zandvoort’s rhythm — fast sweeps threaded with slower, fiddly sections — could expose the same low-speed weaknesses that have let McLaren hunt them down this season. Verstappen has traditionally owned his home race, but 2024 broke that spell when Lando Norris nicked the win. The McLarens, Palmer suspects, may still be the benchmark.
“In the next few I would expect him to be in podium contention, but I don’t think he’ll have enough to take on the McLarens this time,” he added.
If there’s a wildcard, it’s the grandstand. Zandvoort is a mood, and Verstappen always seems to find a gear when the smoke flares and the banks bounce.
“It’s going to be a boost. It just has to be a boost,” Palmer said. “The Zandvoort crowd is one of the best in the season. He’ll turn up with a spring in his step… If he puts it on pole and wins the race, he’s up against it. But I do think it’s probably the perfect way for Max to come back after the summer break and a tough race in Hungary.”
So the mission is simple and stubbornly difficult: execute. With Monza’s low-drag demands and the stop‑start bite of Singapore and Baku looming, Zandvoort might be Red Bull’s best chance to reset the tone. Podiums feel likely. Wins? That depends on whether Verstappen can turn a home crowd’s energy into the clean, clinical weekend he’s been missing.
