Verstappen: 'It's unbelievable, I'm not happy at all!'

©WRI2

Max Verstappen departed Spa bewildered by a race weekend which resulted in the Dutch drivers' sixth retirement of the season.

The Red Bull Racing driver slowly ground to a halt on Spa's Kemmel straight after seven laps in Sunday's Belgian GP following a failure of his power unit's internal combustion engine.

"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."

Ricciardo delighted to capitalise on Spa opportunities

Verstappen's botched weekend will only add to frustrations which have been piling up this season. Yet, the young charger isn't thinking of moving to greener - and more reliable - pastures anytime soon.

"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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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.