Italy’s MONZA If Red Bull can not figure out how to fix its car, Max Verstappen thinks it is “not realistic” for the team to win the Formula One world championship in 2024.
Verstappen’s winless streak now stands at six races after finishing in a dismal sixth place at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza. In 2023, Verstappen won 19 of 22 races on his way to his third world championship. Teammate Sergio Pérez placed seventh, one spot behind.
As a result, Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ standings was reduced to 62 points by Lando Norris, and McLaren’s double-podium finish in the constructors’ title saw them close to Red Bull by eight points.
“At the moment, both championships are not realistic,” Verstappen said post-race at Monza on Sunday.
It’s a dramatic reversal in fortunes for Red Bull since the early part of the 2024 season when Verstappen won the first races by an average of 15 seconds. Nine races ago, Red Bull was over 100 points ahead of McLaren, while Verstappen was 84 points clear of Norris as recently as the British Grand Prix.
But now Verstappen fears that it could lose both championships unless Red Bull can adjust its car to undo its recent dip in performance.
“It’s up to the team to come with lot of changes with the car, because we basically went from a very dominant car to an undrivable car in the space of, what, six to eight months?” Verstappen said, admitting it was “very weird” for him to experience.
The Red Bull RB20’s issues have sapped Verstappen’s confidence when behind the wheel. He described a “massive balance problem” that exists over a single lap and longer race stints.
“We haven’t got a connection between front and rear,” explained Red Bull team principal Christian Horner. “Max can’t lean on the rear on the way into the corner – or Checo – and they end up compensating for that, creating understeer.”
Horner emphasized the urgency of the situation, stating that both championships “absolutely will be under pressure” if Red Bull continues to perform as it did at Monza. He stressed the need to “turn the situation around very quickly.”
“This circuit has exposed the deficiencies we have in the car versus last year, and I think that we have a very clear issue, which has been highlighted this weekend,” Horner said. “We know we have to get on top of and address. Otherwise, we put ourselves under massive pressure.”
McLaren’s performance boom began in Miami following a major package of upgrades to the team’s vehicle. The car’s efficiency and aerodynamics were enhanced by this package, making it more competitive at most circuits. With the RB20, Red Bull had a great foundation, but their midseason improvements have not worked out.
Verstappen expressed skepticism that his car will perform better on the forthcoming tracks in Baku and Singapore, saying:“It doesn’t matter with where we are at the moment; we are bad everywhere, so we need a lot of changes.”
Following a period of Red Bull dominance, which included a nearly flawless 2023 in which it won 21 of the 22 races, there has been a power change at the top of Formula One. The team believes it can win its first constructors’ championship since 1998 thanks to McLaren’s upturn, and it may fully support Norris in his attempt to challenge Verstappen for the drivers’ championship.
The Mercedes team principal, Toto Wolff, called the recent slump at Red Bull “very bizarre” to observe. He cautioned against placing bets against the defending champs.
“I have no insight, obviously, but that is not at all the Red Bull of the start of the year, dominant,” Wolff said. “I think that Max was able to keep it going for a while with his ability. But it seems now that from the sheer results, and that’s what I see without understanding, without knowing what’s going on inside, because it could be a blip also.
“That was probably one of the worst races that we’ve seen for many years, to have no pace. But who am I to say that? We’ve been (having) two years where nothing functioned, and the same with Ferrari a few races ago. So I don’t think you can write them off.
“They are a formidable team. And I’m sure there will be better races.”
Top photo: Mark Thompson/Getty Images
