21 wins out of 22 races, a double world title triumph and unparalleled domination were some of the characteristics of the Red Bull team in the 2023 season. Now, just a year apart, things have flipped 360 degrees as the defending champions have lost the charm. Internal mayhem, technical woes, and a streak of shoddy performances have been the new normal for the Milton Keynes-based outfit. A number of key personnel have left the setup amid an internal crisis while several technical issues hamper the RB20.
On the other hand, rivals like McLaren and Ferrari have leaped in the right direction with persistent upgrade packages. As of now, the RBR squad limps behind McLaren and Ferrari in the Constructors Cup standings. A striking statistic reveals that Red Bull’s WCC chances have plummeted from 92.6% in Miami to just 9.2% by the Mexican GP. Adding to their concerns, another surprising statistic from the race in Mexico could further aggravate RBR’s worries.
Is This The Beginning Of Red Bull’s Downfall?
Race-pace data from the Autodromo Interlagos revealed that Max Verstappen’s lap time on hard Pirelli compounds was almost a tenth slower than that of Kevin Magnussen of Haas. For more context, Haas is the sixth team in the Constructors standings with 47 points, while Red Bull is at the third spot with a staggering 512 points. As per the aforementioned stat, the chances of Red Bull winning the Constructor’s Cup are less than 10%, and they’re only competing with Ferrari for a P2 finish. Additionally, their early-season performance is the only factor sustaining their hopes for a P2 finish.
Talking about the Drivers Cup, Max Verstappen’s chances of defending the title are slowly shrinking. Lando Norris bagged another podium finish in Mexico, chopping the lead down to 47 points. Going forward, if Norris and Verstappen finish every race at this exact position ( P2 and P6, respectively), the Briton will win the championship with 1 point. Although the Dutchman had done a phenomenal job steering a lackluster RB20, the task is far from over. The off-pace RB20 has left Verstappen scrambling, and the RBR starlet finds himself in a rut. As a result, he tries to compensate with aggressive maneuvers, like the one against Norris in Mexico, which resulted in a twenty-second penalty. However, the Dutchman is still the favorite to somehow cling to the WDC title, but what about the 2025 season?
Could Max Verstappen Hit A New Low In 2025?
The RBR triple champion has been lifting the silverware since 2021. With the introduction of the ground effect, his performance only got better. However, the current situation suggests that the upcoming season might be a nightmare for the Dutchman. In the final season of ground effect regulations, Red Bull is not going with an extravagant design. Thus, the upcoming F1 project will be an evolution of RB20. Summing it up, the following season could be worse for Verstappen, given the rival’s upsurge.