Red Bull have been falling behind. At the start of 2024, Max Verstappen and Red Bull were at the helm of the Championship. Winning race after race, except of Australia, where Max suffered mechanical failure, up till China. Max lost to Lando Norris in Miami, due to a safety car and the upgrades that eventually made the MCL38 a rocket ship.
After Miami, Max won again in Imola, Canada and Spain. But since the Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen has not been on the top step of the podium. This is hugely unlike Verstappen and indicates a seismic shift in the fortunes of a team that earlier this year looked set to lift the title; although the same can’t be said right now.
Why is Max Verstappen falling behind Norris?
Red Bull introduced their new car for this season back in February. The RB20, the successor to the super successful RB19.
This car only lived up to its expectations for only a short period of time. The RB20 started having problems with kerb riding.
The car lost a lot of downforce when going over kerbs or bumps.
Both drivers lost a lot of pace due to understeer, caused by lack of downforce.
Formula 1 has progressed a lot from its initial years.
In the beginning, F1 was all about who had the faster and lighter car.
Then it progressed to who had the better and lighter engine and chassis. Soon after that, we entered the era of downforce.
The engineering design concept helped the cars stick to ground even while turning, allowing faster cornering speeds.
Now, F1 is in its ground effect era, all Formula cars have a series of tunnels sculpted out of carbon fibre at the bottom of the car floor.
These tunnels are called Venturi Tunnels, they channel air underneath the car in a way, generating downforce.
F1 cars can be imagined to be an upside-down airplane wing.
The Venturi Tunnels, front and back wings, beam wings, side pods, every panel on these cars are built to enhance downforce while eliminating as much drag as possible.
Red Bull had achieved the best possible balance in this regard with the RB19. But they had gone the wrong way in developing the car floor last year, which came to bite them back this year.
Problems within the Team at Red Bull Racing
The Red Bull Racing team have also been racked by multiple problems.
At the start of this year, Rob Marshall, ex-Red Bull Chief officer joined the team’s main rival and title threat: McLaren.
Then, Adrian Newey, the best car designer of all time, announced that he would be leaving Red Bull.
He has recently announced that he will be joining Aston Martin’s F1 team in the starting of next year.
Soon after Newey’s announcement, Jonathan Wheatley, also announced his departure from Red Bull, to join Audi’s F1 project.
While Red Bull was dealing with the newest departure, Will Courtenay decided, that it was time to say Goodbye.
Will Courtenay will leave Red Bull, to join his former co-worker Rob Marshall at McLaren, at the post of Sporting Director.
Christian Horner, the man who recruited most of the current Red Bull team members, has caused their departure. He stewed up multiple disagreements with other members.
His personal views got in the way of the team progressing as one. Never a good sign for anyone, anywhere.
It was the Horner’s way or the highway, as one would reckon, as so many members decided it was time to leave.
Adrian Newey, a person who has always hated office politics, was one of them.
The path forward
Where it stands right now, Red Bull have two options in front of them.
One, to let all these problems bog them down, destroy their confidence, and cost them the Championship.
Two, to rise from the ashes like a Pheonix, to show the F1 world that the only Energy Drink team on the grid, the team which has dominated the track for the past three years shall not let anything in its path pose a hindrance to their rise.
Red Bull have already started to address the problems with the car.
New changes in the management have also been done.
The team can still pull their act together and although they may lose the Constructors’ Championship, they can still secure Max Verstappen his fourth Drivers’ Championship title.
With only six races and three sprint races to go, Red Bull still can turn around the lead in the Constructors’ Championship and win again this season.
This is the last opportunity for Red Bull to show that it can still stand on its feet, even without a few key figures, and a very dominant car.
Max Verstappen is the driver with most points currently on the grid, if not necessarily the best driver.
He is still equipped with the second-best car on the grid.
All Red Bull have to do is to fix the understeer problem with the car to allow Max to unleash his full potential, and go full “Mad Max” way in these last six races that are left.
Only then shall Red Bull have a Constructor’s trophy in one hand and a Drivers’ Trophy in the other.