Martin Brundle delivers “too strange” verdict when assessing Red Bull’s woes
"Max would call the car a 'monster' post race and it all seems too strange."
Sky Sports F1 commentator Martin Brundle has described Red Bull’s significant drop in form as “too strange” following a poor performance at the Italian Grand Prix.
Red Bull were clearly the fourth-fastest team at Monza, with Max Verstappen finishing sixth, over 35 seconds behind race winner Charles Leclerc.
Their poor result on Sunday means they are now just eight points ahead of McLaren in the F1 constructors’ championship.
Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship remains substantial, with the Dutchman 62 points clear of Lando Norris with eight rounds to go.
However, given McLaren's trajectory relative to Red Bull, Verstappen’s chances of retaining the title diminish with each passing round.
Red Bull’s dip in performance is a mystery, particularly as Verstappen dominated the opening four rounds of the season.
In his post-race column for Sky Sports, Brundle offered his perspective on the Red Bull situation.
“Meanwhile Red Bull had started Verstappen and Sergio Perez on hard compound tyres on a counter strategy after their relatively lowly grid positions of seventh and eighth,” Brundle wrote.
“With the front runners racing the wheels and tyres off each other this looked smart, especially in the absence of a safety car. But some scruffy pit stops on laps 22 and 23 respectively, and thereafter relatively poor pace and opting for a two-stop strategy would consign Red Bull to sixth and eighth places.
“Max would call the car a 'monster' post race and it all seems too strange.
“They dominated the early season, and last year in Monza Max won his 10th straight race at a canter. This year he finished 38 seconds behind the winner.”
There is likely to be more pain on the way for Red Bull, with Azerbaijan and Singapore coming up.
Red Bull have struggled on street circuits this year, and Singapore was their weakest display of their dominant 2023 campaign.
Conversely, McLaren have proven to be an all-rounder, performing well at all circuits, even if they have won just three races this year.
