Credits: IMAGO / ANP
At the start of the 2024 season, the thought of Red Bull becoming the fourth-fastest team at one point was unfathomable. Fast forward to September and the Milton-Keynes-based team looks lost. Mercedes, McLaren, and Ferrari have all made huge strides with impactful upgrades, whereas Red Bull is struggling to fix all of its issues.
The year started with business as usual: Max Verstappen was winning with dominant margins, and Sergio Perez was fulfilling the team’s expectations by finishing second. Ferrari was the only team close to Red Bull at the time, but from Miami onwards, McLaren joined the mix. With seven new upgrades to the MCL38, Lando Norris won the Miami GP, and McLaren gradually matched Red Bull in terms of performance.
A tough weekend all around, but we’ll regroup and aim to come back stronger in Baku
Result || LEC, PIA, NOR, SAI, HAM, Max P6, RUS, Checo P8, ALB, MAG. pic.twitter.com/NvKNONRWSY
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) September 1, 2024
Meanwhile, problems began to surface at Red Bull. Perez fell way behind Verstappen, finishing out of the points, and the RB20 developed balance issues. Despite Verstappen’s ability to secure wins and podiums with an underperforming car, he struggled to finish in the top three as Mercedes also entered the winning fray.
The balance issues kept getting worse, and Red Bull now stands on the brink of losing the Constructors’ lead to McLaren, who are just eight points behind. And if they cannot find a solution to the RB20’s issues, they may lose out on both championships.
Verstappen is on a quest of his own to defend his drivers’ championship from Norris but admits that it isn’t realistic for Red Bull to dream of winning both titles anymore.
Red Bull unable to find a solution
During the summer break, the team’s advisor Helmut Marko insisted that they were working on finding a solution to its balance issues. But two races have passed since the resumption of the campaign, and the Milton Keynes outfit looks just as bad — if not worse.
As things stand, Red Bull will have to change the entire RB20 from scratch. “Change the whole car,” was Verstappen’s solution to fix its ongoing problems. But with just eight races to go, it would be a daunting task.
Verstappen warned the team after Italy, that failing to make positive changes would result in a tough end to the season for the reigning champions.
Unfamiliar territory for Verstappen
The last time Red Bull struggled with performance this much was in 2020 when they didn’t have championship-level expectations. They fielded a title-winning car in 2021, 2022, and 2023, with dominant campaigns in the latter two seasons.
Even 2024 started with the paddock expecting another year of Red Bull dominance. But this sudden and sharp decline has left everyone at Milton-Keynes scratching their heads.
Verstappen, who has a 62-point lead over Norris in the drivers’ standings is in a comfortable place to defend his crown. However, Red Bull could — and are most likely to — lose P1 to McLaren in the constructors’ standings, in the next race weekend in Baku for the Azerbaijan GP.
