AUSTIN, TEXAS – OCTOBER 23: Race winner Max Verstappen of the Netherlands and Oracle Red Bull Racing, along with his father Jos Verstappen, celebrate winning the F1 Constructors’ Championship after the US Grand Prix at Circuit of the Americas on October 23, 2022, in Austin, Texas. (Photo by Jared C. Tilton/Getty Images)
Former Formula 1 driver Jos, reflecting on the 2024 Monaco Grand Prix, shared his thoughts with De Telegraaf, stating that Red Bull’s era of dominance in F1 seems to be coming to an end. He suggests that the team should refocus on racing and internal communication, rather than other distractions.
Jos believes that Red Bull needs to address its weaknesses, which were evident in Monaco. He points out that Ferrari and McLaren are closing in, and while Max Verstappen has been able to mask these issues to some extent, the gap between him and Sergio Perez is becoming more apparent.
According to Verstappen’s father, the RB20 struggles on high downforce circuits with tight corners or undulations, explaining its lack of performance in Miami and Monaco, and to a lesser extent in Imola.
Verstappen has already won five races this season, but there is clearly an issue with the design of the RB20, as Max himself has acknowledged. The decision to make radical changes to last year’s successful RB19 package seems to have backfired.
Although the RB20 showed promise initially, with Verstappen securing seven pole positions in eight races, things have taken a turn for the worse. Monaco was a significant test for the RB20, and it failed to deliver.
However, the F1 season is long, with 16 more races to go. There will be tracks where Red Bull will excel, but their struggles on certain circuits will be revealing.
When the RB20 is at its best and Max is behind the wheel, he can be a formidable weapon in his quest for a fourth F1 championship. However, recent evidence suggests that winning the title will be more challenging than his third championship in 2023.
Marko acknowledged the challenges affecting the RBR team: “By changing the height of the car, we sacrificed a significant amount of traction. This limitation restricts our options in that aspect. However, we maintain our belief that we will maintain our superiority on traditional tracks like Barcelona. If not, then we will face a significant problem.”
“I firmly believe that the Verstappen factor will play a decisive role, even on tracks less favorable to us. He is currently in exceptional form and consistently makes a difference. No other driver has the ability to push to the limit on every lap of the race without making mistakes,” expressed Marko, an 81-year-old former F1 driver and Le Mans champion.
According to StatsF1, Red Bull has been the dominant force in F1 since Max ended Lewis Hamilton’s long reign at the end of the 2021 F1 season. Since then, they have won both F1 titles in 2021 and 2022, and seemed to be on a similar trajectory until the race in Miami.
The Monaco Grand Prix proved to be a setback for Red Bull, with Sergio Perez crashing on the first lap of the initial “race” and Verstappen finishing in P6, the same position he started on the grid. This resulted in only eight points for Red Bull, their lowest score since the double retirement in Australia in 2022.
If Red Bull’s dominance really comes to an end, as suggested by Jos, Max’s performance at this weekend’s Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal will be intriguing to watch. The subsequent race in Barcelona will also serve as a test for Marko’s prediction.
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A big scandal happened in the world of sports this week, involving one of the biggest football stars. The player, known for his incredible skills on the field, was caught in a compromising situation off the pitch. Shocking images show the athlete at a wild party, where he was accompanied by several women and consuming excessive alcoholic drinks.
These revelations left fans disappointed and shocked, as the player has always been seen as a role model for young people. Many question whether he will be able to recover from this situation and maintain his reputation intact.
In addition, the player’s sponsors are also concerned about the impact this controversy may have on his image. Major brands are already reconsidering their contracts with him, which could result in a significant financial loss for the athlete.
However, some fans are still supporting the player, claiming that everyone makes mistakes and that he deserves a second chance. They argue that his personal life should not interfere with his football career.
As we wait for more information on this scandal, the question remains: will the player be able to recover from this situation and regain the trust of his fans and sponsors? Only time will tell.
