Max Verstappen admits feeling anger towards those who incessantly blast Red Bull Racing for its inability to consistently challenge Mercedes' relentless domination in F1.
The Milton Keynes-based squad sat alone in 2020 as the German outfit's main opponent on the grid, yet it only succeeded in inflicting two defeats on the Black Arrows chargers, courtesy of Verstappen's wins at Silverstone and Yas Marina.
Over time, pundits feel that Red Bull just can't measure up against its arch-rival over a full season. Verstappen boasts patience, but the Dutchman takes exception with those who only see Red Bull's shortfalls, and refuses to play the blame game within his team.
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"You cannot force things in life," Verstappen told De Telegraaf. "It makes no sense to walk around with frustration all year round.
"Some people pretend they have all the knowledge of Formula 1. But if they did, they would have designed that car. We are still the second-best team in Formula 1.
"Of course we’d prefer to do some things better or differently and we want to fight for the championship, but that is no reason to piss off the team. Then I do get angry.
"Mercedes is very difficult to beat at the moment, but we will not give up."
In a season of mixed fortunes, marked by his two wins but also by five painful retirements rooted in mechanical issues, Verstappen highlighted the importance of balancing the frustrations with the satisfactions.
"What lingers longer, joy or disappointment? Actually neither," he said.
"The win at Silverstone was great, but Mercedes had huge problems with their tyres at the time and we had the right strategy. I also knew that it was more or less an isolated incident.
"And for me, after those failures, it makes no sense to linger too long in disappointment, or to piss off everyone. Then the working relationship will not improve.
"You have to make sure that everyone stays on the same page and that we have a pleasant cooperation."
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