Red Bull’s dominance in Formula 1 took a severe hit during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza, a weekend that team boss Christian Horner called a “low point” for the reigning champions. It was a stark contrast for a team that seemed poised to cruise to another set of titles, as Max Verstappen notched up seven wins in the first 10 rounds. But with Red Bull’s competitiveness evaporating, the team now finds itself in unfamiliar territory.
Verstappen, once untouchable, has faced a frustrating eight-race winless streak—his worst since 2020. The team’s woes have opened the door for McLaren, who now lead the Constructors’ Championship, capitalizing on Red Bull’s sudden decline. Verstappen’s sixth-place finish at Monza, where he struggled with a “monster” RB20 due to balance issues, marked the lowest point of the season.
Horner, however, views Monza as a turning point. The Italian GP exposed critical flaws in the team’s development strategy, which he believes are now being addressed. “We already could see the issues, but I think what Monza really exposed was perhaps some of the root cause, or helped to identify the root cause of the issue,” Horner explained. “So I’m taking Monza as the low point and we’re starting to build out of that.”
Signs of recovery have emerged since Monza, with Sergio Perez showing podium potential and Verstappen pulling off a surprising second-place finish in Singapore. The improvements are encouraging, but Horner acknowledges that there’s still a considerable gap to close. In Singapore, Verstappen trailed McLaren’s Lando Norris by 22 seconds in the early stages of the race. The team is now racing against time to bring critical upgrades to the car before the Austin Grand Prix.
“When you consider where we were a couple of weeks ago, I think we have made some real progress,” Horner said. “We’ve got a vein of development, and we’ve understood some of the issues with the car. I think we’re starting to address them.”
Red Bull’s development team in Milton Keynes is set for a grueling schedule, with “a lot of late nights” planned as they work to close the gap. Despite McLaren currently holding the benchmark car status, Horner remains confident. “We’ve got the people and the capability to do that,” he insisted.
The stakes are high as Red Bull fights to reclaim its dominance. With six races left and Verstappen clinging to a 52-point lead over Norris, Horner is adamant that the championship is still in their hands. “We’re going to fight all the way to the end of the championship,” he vowed. “With a lot of races, a lot of points on the board, there’s still a lot of racing left.”
With the final two triple-headers looming, Red Bull’s campaign is at a critical juncture. The team’s promise of “late nights” shows their determination to turn things around, but only time will tell if they can salvage the season or if the Monza disaster was the beginning of their downfall.
