Max Verstappen makes admission about Red Bull title rivals

The Dutchman is still the favourite to win a fourth straight world title but has seen McLaren and Mercedes close the gap

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen believes that Red Bull no longer have the fastest car on the grid (AP)

Max Verstappen believes he no longer has the fastest car in Formula 1 following recent improvements by both McLaren and Mercedes.

The Red Bull driver, who still sits 78 points clear at the top of the Drivers’ Championship, knows his team have work to do during the summer break if he is to secure his fourth consecutive F1 title.

The 24-year-old has not won in the last four races, his only podium a second-placed finish at the British Grand Prix last month.

Since then the top three has been dominated by McLaren and Mercedes, with Oscar Piastri securing his maiden win in Hungary and then finishing second to Lewis Hamilton in the last race in Belgium.

"I think they are ahead of us," Verstappen told Sky Sports F1. "It depends. Sometimes McLaren, sometimes Mercedes.

"I think we were faster than Ferrari but coming from P11 we didn't have enough time to pass them. We know that we have work to do.

"We know that we want to do better, we are of course not satisfied with this, but everyone is doing a great job and you have to take your hat off for that as well."

Lando Norris and McLaren have impressed in recent months (Getty Images)

McLaren are currently on a 10-race run of consecutive podium finishes, which is their best sequence since achieving 13 in a row in 2011-2012.

They have also been the highest-scoring team of the past eight races which has helped them close the gap on Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship to just 42 points.

Piastri said after the race in Belgium that he believes they are now “one of the quickest”.

“Budapest we were quickest,” the Australian said. “[In Belgium], from my side I made too many mistakes in qualifying and that ended up costing us a bit. But it’s very tight.

“If we are quickest, it’s not by much. I think Red Bull were very quick, just Max got stuck in dirty air. Mercedes are clearly very strong as well but we probably had a little edge, just not the track position to capitalise on it.”

Verstappen's lead remains just over the points equivalent of three race wins with 10 races and three sprints remaining this season.

The season resumes in the Netherlands after the summer break with the Dutch Grand Prix set to be held from 23-25 August.