Max Verstappen once again was scathing in his criticism of the once-dominant Red Bull RB20 after the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix, saying the team’s engineers need to run the car “upside down” in the coming rounds.
Verstappen and Red Bull were left bemused in qualifying, going slower in Q3 than in Q2 on Saturday, resulting in a seventh-place starting slot on Sunday’s grid.
With balance issues continuing to plague the RB20, the best Verstappen could muster on race day at Monza was sixth, not befitting his lofty expectations of the reigning champions.
The bleak afternoon for the Dutchman extends his winless run to six rounds and he is desperate for Red Bull to find answers after what was a fine start to the 2024 campaign.
“I’ve said a lot yeah and now it’s up to the team to come with a lot of changes with the car because we basically went from a very dominant car to an undrivable car in the space of, what, six to eight months,” Verstappen told media including Motorsport Week after the GP.
“So that is very weird, for me, and yeah, [we] need to really turn the car upside down.”
Moving forward, the next two races on the 2024 calendar are at Baku and Singapore, the latter of which proved to be a bogey track for the all-conquering RB19 last year.
With that in mind, Verstappen was asked if there was greater concern with the GP at the Marina Bay circuit approaching, to which he replied: “I mean it doesn’t matter with where we are at the moment, we are bad everywhere, so we need a lot of changes.”
That Singapore defeat last year was the only race Red Bull didn’t win in 2023 and the team entered this campaign in a similar fashion, scoring three one-two finishes in the first four races of the year.
Speculation has been rife that Adrian Newey’s announcement back in May that he would step away from the team has coincided with Red Bull’s downfall in the subsequent months.
“I’ve always said I would have liked Adrian to stay, always, it’s not about that now,” Verstappen said.
“Last year we had a great car, which was the most dominant car ever, and we basically turned it into a monster, so we have to turn it around.
“Unfortunately I don’t have a degree in engineering or aerodynamics but I think I gave everything I can give.
“It was quite clear. For everyone. What we have to do.
“It’s just now we have to turn it around and it’s not easy to do that very quickly, and if we can put that on the car then it becomes more drivable again.”
Verstappen and team-mate Sergio Perez both finished behind the McLaren duo of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris, who finished second and third respectively.
That brings the papaya-clad team to within 12 points of Red Bull in the Constructors’ standings and Norris is now 62 behind Verstappen in the Drivers’ standings.
McLaren strikes a team with a balanced car in all conditions and with Red Bull’s problems persisting, Verstappen feels neither Championship is safe for him and his team.
With the Red Bull situation careening toward DEFCON 1, Verstappen said “at the moment both championships are not realistic.”
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