BREAKING NEWS: McLaren Crowned Champions as Red Bull......Verstappen’s Title Pursuit.....

Red Bull Concedes Defeat to McLaren in 2024 Constructors’ Championship, Shifts Focus to Verstappen’s Title Pursuit

Red Bull Racing, after dominating the 2023 Formula 1 season, is reportedly conceding defeat in the 2024 Constructors’ Championship, with the team’s focus now firmly on securing a fourth Drivers’ Championship for Max Verstappen. Despite a strong start to the season, including four wins from the first five races, Red Bull’s performance has significantly declined, placing their dominance at risk and leaving them vulnerable to McLaren’s resurgence.

The 2023 season saw Red Bull in a league of their own, with Verstappen securing his third consecutive World Championship and the team winning 21 out of 22 races. Expectations were high for a similar display of superiority in 2024. However, Red Bull’s season, which started with promise, has seen a dramatic downturn over the recent months.

After winning the Spanish Grand Prix on June 23, Verstappen has not stood on the top step of the podium in the last six races, marking his longest winless streak since 2020. As a result, his once commanding lead in the Drivers’ Championship has been reduced to just 62 points over McLaren’s Lando Norris, while Red Bull’s lead in the Constructors’ Championship has dwindled to a mere eight points ahead of McLaren. The upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix could see Red Bull lose their lead in the Constructors’ standings for the first time since May 2022.

The struggles were evident during the recent Italian Grand Prix at Monza, where Verstappen could only manage a sixth-place finish, a far cry from his record-breaking 10th consecutive victory at the same venue in 2023. After the race, Verstappen expressed his concerns, stating that unless significant changes were made to the car, both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships could slip away from Red Bull.

Verstappen was quoted saying, “At the moment, both championships are not realistic. We have to turn it around, and it’s not easy to do that very quickly. If we can make the car more driveable, then we stand a chance.” He went on to describe how the car has transformed from a dominant machine into something “undriveable” over the course of just a few months. “That is very weird for me, and we need to really turn the car upside down,” he added.

According to a report from the Swiss-German publication *Blick*, a senior figure within Red Bull’s top management has already conceded that holding off McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship may no longer be possible. The unnamed source reportedly stated before the Monza race, “We can forget about this championship. All that counts now is Max’s fourth title.”

In an interview with the Dutch publication *De Telegraaf*, Red Bull adviser Helmut Marko provided a glimmer of hope, revealing that Verstappen had identified a specific weakness in the RB20 during the Italian GP weekend. This discovery could potentially help the team to bring necessary improvements and stave off McLaren’s threat. Marko explained, “Max recognized on Saturday where the weakness of the car is. Together with the engineers, a decision was made on how to improve the car and make it competitive again.”

However, the challenge remains daunting as the team struggles to pinpoint the exact issue that has led to their slump. Marko admitted, “We just need to find out which part made the car worse. If we knew that, we wouldn’t be in this situation.”

Adding to the pressure, Verstappen’s father, former F1 driver Jos Verstappen, has been openly critical of Red Bull’s mid-season struggles. He revealed that his son had raised concerns about the car’s balance even during the team’s strong start to the season. Jos expressed his concern that Red Bull may have acted too late, saying, “First of all, I think all the updates that have been brought this year have not delivered what they were supposed to. Standing still in Formula 1 means going backwards, and the others are making big strides.”

As the 2024 season enters its critical phase, Red Bull faces an uphill battle to maintain their position at the top of the sport. With eight races remaining, the focus is now on defending Verstappen’s lead in the Drivers’ Championship, as the team works tirelessly to rectify the issues plaguing their once-dominant car.