Red Bull’s Downfall; What Is the Issue?
This past weekend we had the 16th race of the season, Monza Circuit. In this race, Red Bull was visibly weaker than in past races this season. Max Verstappen and Sergio “Checo” Perez are some of the best drivers in the league with multiple wins throughout their careers, yet they came in sixth and eighth. So, what is the issue? It could be the car, the drivers, the team, or even the mechanics.
Recent Results
Perez has not had a podium position since China, their fifth race of the season, where he came in third. Since Canada, Perez has been struggling with his vehicle and this has caused rumors spreading about his future in Red Bull. This season, he is in seventh place overall and only has four podium positions. This is disappointing for Red Bull fans to say the least. While Perez has been struggling with this for about 10 races, Verstappen only recently started to have noticeable issues with his car. At the Monza weekend, Verstappen placed sixth, his lowest placement so far this season.
The Issue
Now that both drivers and arguably the best driver in Formula One currently, are having issues, attention has been thrown in Red Bull’s direction. After every race there are interviews. In these interviews, Checo and Max are discussing team strategy and issues with the car. So far, both have mentioned the balance in the car. The off-balance has led to degradation on the tires which messes with the team strategy. Without tires lasting long enough the drivers need to pit more often and lose positions with each stop.
So how are the mechanics and crew going to fix this issue? The root of the issue is the balance as far as we are aware. They have had all of this week and this weekend to come up with something. The next race is in Azerbaijan on Sunday, Sept. 15th. This gives the team plenty of time to examine and fix any issues in both of their vehicles. With this in mind, the other top teams need to keep an eye out for the previous champion, Max Verstappen, and his more than-capable teammate.
The Effect of the Issue
This situation has caused some stir. As mentioned previously, there have been rumors of Perez leaving the Red Bull team. This of course has been shut down and denied by all members of the Red Bull crew, including Perez. Along with this, talks of the next champion are naturally coming up and on everyone’s mind. Max Verstappen was basically unstoppable last season but with the balance issue who will be the next champion? I think the team with the most improvement and recognition at the moment is the McLaren team with Norris and Piastri.
Lando Norris is currently in second position with 241 points only 62 points behind Max. Oscar Piastri is in fourth with 297 points, very close to third-place holder, Charles Leclerc. With these stats a little past halfway through this regular season, there truly is no telling who the champion could be at this point. Red Bull needs to keep their eye on McLaren and Ferrari moving forward and get the Red Bull drivers their fixed cars.
