Christian Horner is aware that problems need to be resolved quickly at Red Bull

Recently, the reigning world champions Red Bull and their driver Max Verstappen seem to have lost their lead. If in 2023 the team dominated both standings, today it is gradually losing its dominance. Still in first place for the moment, McLaren is only 8 points behind in the constructors’ standings. Lando Norris could also jeopardize the victory of the Dutch driver for 2024.

Red Bull under the orange menace

For several races now, the Dutch anthem has not been heard after a Grand Prix weekend. Max Verstappen, who started the season with a series of victories, is now struggling to find his way to the podium. After qualifying seventh in Monza, he could only climb up to sixth place, losing some points to a third-placed Lando Norris. At the moment, McLaren poses the biggest threat to Red Bull. Even though the British driver has only won two Grand Prix races, he is just 62 points behind Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship. The gap may seem huge, but it could be closed, especially if Max Verstappen incurs an engine penalty.

Last week at the Zandvoort Grand Prix, the Red Bull car faced technical issues that spoiled the race. The steering problems on the local driver’s car were particularly highlighted. This week, Max Verstappen did not seem to appreciate his car’s behavior. In the post-race press conference, the driver suggested to Red Bull to basically change the entire car. The second driver, Sergio Pérez, experienced a similar fate during the race. He only managed to finish in eighth place.

The difficulties of Red Bull were evident from the beginning of the weekend in Monza. If the qualifications were not a resounding success, the Grand Prix was not either. The performances of Ferrari and McLaren have increased the pressure on the team, which is now vulnerable. Red Bull team principal, Christian Horner, recently admitted that these problems have been present since the beginning of the year, but with the progress of other teams, the gap is widening. “I think it’s been there for a while,” he admitted. “When we look at the data, we see that these characteristics were present from the start of the season, but now that others have taken a step forward, we are more exposed.”

Still problems to understand

The recent improvements made to the RB20 seem to have worsened the issue. In the past two Grand Prix races, Red Bull has stepped back on their improvements. The difficulties with the car seem to persist nonetheless. This season, it is clear to Christian Horner that the car is facing problems they did not have with the RB19. « I think this circuit has revealed weaknesses that we have in the car compared to last year,” acknowledged the team principal. « and I think we have a very clear problem that has been highlighted this weekend, and we know we need to master it and address it, otherwise we will be under enormous pressure. ».

This season, the RB20 is struggling to maintain its consistency on the track. If the problems remain unidentified, there are definitely issues on low downforce circuits. But as the team moves forward tentatively, it also creates new issues for itself. “And as soon as you find yourself in this situation, you are harsher on the tires, you end up compensating for the balance”, started Christian Horner. “To solve one problem, you create another, and so you find yourself caught in a vicious circle.”

The team seems to be struggling to combine track results and problem solutions. If Monza highlighted some changes to be made on the car, the Red Bull wind tunnel does not reflect the reality of the track. Without technological aids to develop the car, the team must manage on its own to address what needs to be fixed.

With only two weeks before the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, Christian Horner emphasized the importance of the upcoming days for Red Bull to finally regain its performance. Although the team may not be able to resolve all its problems immediately, the team principal hopes that some adjustments can be made to give the car a bit of a boost. “The most important thing is to understand the problem. We have two weeks before Baku and Singapore, then another mini-break between Singapore and Austin. This time is crucial,” concluded the Briton. Red Bull is now focusing on quickly resolving its technical issues to avoid falling behind a dominant McLaren.