Max Verstappen emerged victorious in the Canadian Grand Prix, triumphing over strong competitors like Mercedes and McLaren. Christian Horner, Red Bull’s Team Principal, responded vehemently to Mercedes’ disparaging comments about the Red Bull RB20. Mercedes’ Technical Director had criticized Red Bull the week before the Canadian Grand Prix.
Red Bull has been facing a decline in their dominant performance as they battle strong competition from Ferrari and McLaren in the 2024 championship. The team’s struggles during the Monaco Grand Prix and in the practice sessions in Montreal led James Allison to take a dig at the reigning champions. Allison stated that Red Bull’s upgrades had actually had a negative impact on the team rather than improving their performance. However, Christian Horner had the last laugh after the event in Montreal, where Red Bull performed exceptionally well and outperformed Mercedes.
Despite Mercedes being the fourth fastest team this season, they entered Sunday’s race with confidence after George Russell secured pole position. However, Verstappen’s brilliance overshadowed Mercedes, leading Horner to refute Allison’s criticisms by stating that the supposedly downgraded Red Bull RB20 performed better than Mercedes‘ upgraded W15.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull’s driver, faced penalties after the Canadian GP. He received a 3-place grid penalty and a €25,000 fine from the FIA for driving to the pits with a broken rear wing caused by a collision with the wall. Perez’s performance has been disappointing as he failed to make it out of Q1 for the second consecutive race this season. During the race, he hit the barriers, damaging his rear wing and forcing his retirement.
Despite the damage to his car, Perez continued to drive back to the pits, ignoring the race control rules that required him to stop. As a result, he received a 3-position grid penalty for the Spanish GP. Perez’s season is going from bad to worse, and now he will have to prove his worth to justify the extension of his contract with Red Bull until 2026.
