Source – Planetf1.com
According to Max Verstappen, it’s challenging to pinpoint Red Bull’s problems throughout the middle of this year’s championship.
Max Verstappen’s reign at the top of Formula 1 suddenly feels more fragile than ever. After dominating the early part of the 2024 season with seven wins from the first 10 races, Verstappen’s stranglehold on the championship has weakened. Red Bull’s RB20, once seemingly unbeatable, has struggled to keep pace, leaving the reigning World Champion winless for the last six race weekends, the longest drought since his 2020 season.
The alarming dip in Red Bull’s performance came to a head at Monza, where the team was far from contention. Lando Norris of McLaren, fresh off a stunning win at Zandvoort, again outperformed Verstappen, narrowing the gap in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships. Verstappen’s lead over Norris has shrunk to 62 points, with McLaren closing Red Bull’s advantage in the team standings to just eight points. For a team accustomed to dominance, this is uncharted territory.
Frustration has been building within the Red Bull camp. Team principal Christian Horner openly acknowledged that recent upgrades to the RB20 have not translated into better on-track performance. The team’s wind tunnel data, which once aligned seamlessly with real-world results, no longer reflects the car’s behavior on race day. The disconnection between the simulation tools and the car’s actual performance has left Red Bull scrambling for answers.
To address the issues, Red Bull has even considered reverting to older components in the hopes of improving the car’s balance. Yet, this is no simple solution. While it might help Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez handle the car better, rolling back to older specs would inevitably lead to slower lap times—an unacceptable tradeoff when every team on the grid is pushing development forward.
Speaking candidly after Monza, Verstappen admitted that his fate in the 2024 championship is now largely out of his hands. With the RB20’s current performance, he believes it’s impossible to rely solely on his driving to secure a fourth consecutive title.
“I just do the best I can,” Verstappen said. “If I win it or not, it’s not going to change my life. Would I like to win it? Of course. But it’s not in my hands with the performance of the car.”
Verstappen’s confidence, which has defined much of his career, has taken a more reflective tone as he navigates this unexpected challenge. While still maintaining a healthy lead, he is fully aware that the situation can change rapidly, with eight races and sprint events still remaining on the calendar. The road ahead is fraught with uncertainties.
“I knew that a season like last year was unrealistic,” Verstappen admitted, referencing his incredible dominance in 2023. “But did I expect it to be like this? Not really, considering how we ended and started the year.”
Despite the frustration, the Dutch driver remains optimistic about the team’s ability to rebound. Red Bull’s engineers are working flat out to find solutions to the balance issues that have plagued the car in recent races. While progress is being made, Verstappen acknowledged that it will be difficult to close the performance gap before the season’s end.
As Red Bull grapples with understanding where things went wrong, some have speculated whether the off-track distractions earlier in the year, including the wind tunnel and technical issues, have contributed to the team’s struggles. Verstappen, however, remains focused on the present challenges rather than looking for excuses.
With eight races to go, Verstappen knows that his lead, while substantial, is far from secure. The remaining race weekends will require him to extract everything from the RB20, no matter how unpredictable it has become. There is no room for complacency, as Norris continues to push, and McLaren’s momentum builds.
“You can’t calculate it like that,” Verstappen remarked when asked about whether his lead offers him a cushion. “You still want to win races. There are eight races left, and a few sprint races too. A lot can happen.”
The reigning champion is well aware that the final stretch of the season will demand perfection from both him and the team. It’s a daunting challenge, but Verstappen, with his relentless determination, is not ready to back down. As the championship fight intensifies, the focus shifts back to Red Bull’s ability to unlock the potential of the RB20.
While the road to his fourth title has become far more treacherous than expected, Verstappen remains defiant, prepared to battle to the end and make the best of the situation, no matter how difficult it becomes. For the first time in years, Formula 1’s dominant force faces a true test of resilience, and the world is watching to see how he responds.
