Red Bull’s Max Verstappen
Sky F1 commentator Martin Brundle has been left in “no doubt” that “internal events” at Red Bull are to blame for the team’s F1 2024 drop off over recent weeks.
Red Bull produced the most dominant season in history in F1 2023, winning 21 out of a possible 22 races as Max Verstappen eased to a third consecutive World Championship.
Martin Brundle has ‘no doubt’ off-track dramas hurting Red Bull
In a similar manner, the team based in Milton Keynes had a strong start to the F1 2024 season. Verstappen emerged victorious in four out of the first five races, achieving three Red Bull one-two finishes alongside his teammate Sergio Perez, who secured the second position in races held in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, and Japan.
Despite Red Bull’s disrupted preparation for the new season, which involved an investigation into the conduct of long-serving team principal Christian Horner, the team managed to have a successful start to F1 2024.
Following Verstappen’s victory in Bahrain, Jos, the Dutchman’s father, demanded Horner’s resignation, alleging that Horner was portraying himself as the victim while actually being the root cause of the team’s issues. Jos also cautioned that if Horner continued to hold his position, the team would crumble.
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Red Bull was dealt another setback this month when design guru Adrian Newey confirmed his departure from the team in early F1 2025, adding to the uncertainty surrounding Verstappen’s future due to Mercedes’ interest.
Since Newey’s departure was confirmed, Red Bull has only managed to secure one victory in the last three races. McLaren’s Lando Norris triumphed in Miami, while Charles Leclerc from Ferrari emerged victorious in Monaco.
After successfully fending off Norris and winning by a narrow margin of 0.725 seconds at Imola, Red Bull faced their toughest weekend in a long while at Monte Carlo. Verstappen’s race concluded with a disappointing sixth-place finish, while Perez was forced to retire due to an accident on the first lap, despite qualifying in a lowly 18th position.
Verstappen and Red Bull had a disappointing weekend, resulting in a reduction of their lead in the World Championship. The 26-year-old is now only 31 points ahead of Leclerc, while their team is leading Ferrari by 24 points going into the next weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix. This race marks the ninth round of the season in a record-breaking 24-race campaign.
In his post-race Sky Sports column, Brundle expressed his belief that Red Bull should be wary of the competition posed by McLaren and Ferrari, as their recent upgrades have brought them back into contention.
He expressed his conviction that Red Bull’s performances have been influenced by the ongoing off-track saga surrounding the team.
He commented that Ferrari and McLaren are currently experiencing a successful streak, with both teams and their driver combinations appearing highly united, focused, and efficiently organized.
Red Bull is currently keeping a close eye on their competitors in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships, as there are still many races left and the competition is intense.
Without a doubt, the internal events at Red Bull have negatively impacted their recent performances. They will be extremely eager to get back on track and return to their usual performance level in Montreal for the next race.
After Verstappen Sr declared that Red Bull’s period of dominance is over and urged them to address the increasing threat from Ferrari and McLaren, Brundle’s remarks followed. He pointed out that his son’s performances have been masking the true state of the team’s situation in recent weeks.
He told Dutch publication De Telegraaf: “For sure there will be other tracks where Red Bull will do well again, but I am very curious [to see] how they will solve these problems.
It is evident that McLaren and Ferrari are progressively getting closer, and in order to address this, they will need to take action and comprehend the origins of specific challenges.
Max’s ability to conceal certain issues is apparent, however, the noticeable disparity between him and his teammate is undeniable.
In my perspective, it appears that Red Bull’s era of supremacy has concluded.
When questioned about the increasing likelihood of a potential F1 2024 championship battle prior to the Monaco Grand Prix, Verstappen Jr contended that Red Bull’s recent triumphs would make them a formidable opponent to defeat in a head-to-head contest for the World Championship.
He informed the media, including PlanetF1.com, that our team’s consistent presence at the forefront can have a significant impact on other teams striving to achieve the same.
Our main focus is to remain composed and composed, acknowledging that in recent races, other teams have either caught up to us or surpassed us. Naturally, we are determined to make improvements ourselves.
With the experience we have gained in recent years, I believe we have become an exceptionally formidable team in the Championship. Our ability to minimize errors makes us incredibly difficult to defeat.
Since the beginning of his first championship-winning season in F1 2021, Verstappen has emerged victorious in 49 out of the most recent 74 races.
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