Max Verstappen acknowledges that Red Bull’s struggles in Monaco have revealed a “big weakness” in their 2024 car, highlighting the increasing challenge to the world champions’ two-year dominance in F1 race weekends.
After a tough weekend in Monaco, Red Bull is determined to bounce back at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The team is keenly aware of the rising threats from Ferrari and McLaren, who have shown impressive form this season.
Two weeks ago, Red Bull experienced their least competitive outing since last September’s Singapore GP, another challenging street circuit. Max Verstappen managed only sixth place in both qualifying and the race, which was dominated by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc. As a result, Verstappen’s lead over Leclerc in the world championship has been reduced to 31 points.
Verstappen candidly acknowledged the challenges ahead, saying, “Some tracks that are still upcoming won’t really be that good for us, but then also some tracks will be better for us. The only positive that comes out of [Monaco] is that we understand what our big weakness is and that’s what we really have to work on.”
Team principal Christian Horner echoed these sentiments, pointing out that the RB20 struggled with Monaco’s bumps and kerbs. “We’ve got a huge amount of data now to go away and look at, and address for the upcoming races,” said Horner. “It’s an area of the car we need to work on.”
Verstappen’s blunt feedback after hitting the wall during qualifying was likened to driving a “go-kart,” but his directness has been crucial in helping the team focus on the necessary improvements. Horner noted, “Max’s comments over the last 10 years have always been very forthright. It just focuses everyone.”
As Red Bull prepares for Montreal, the team is working on understanding and fixing the issues with their car’s handling on kerbs. Verstappen remains cautiously optimistic, noting, “It’s still not probably going to be the easiest weekend because of the kerbing and stuff, our car is just not very good at that.”
Horner added, “It’s a track that we’ve performed well at previously. Ferrari, McLaren – they’re quick. It was always going to happen that there was going to be convergence.”
The competitive landscape has shifted this season, with three different teams winning the last three races for the first time since September 2021. Verstappen had dominated the early season, but recent races have seen Lando Norris and Leclerc take victories, tightening the championship battle.
With 16 races still to go in this record-length season, Red Bull’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship has shrunk to just 24 points over Ferrari. Horner remains focused on the long game, stating, “We’re now getting into the meat of the championship. Let’s see how things pan out over the next few circuits. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”
As the F1 circus heads to Montreal, the big question remains: can Red Bull address their weaknesses and return to their winning ways, or will Ferrari and McLaren continue to close the gap? The next few races will be crucial in determining the direction of the championship.
