The year 2024 has been a disastrous one for Red Bull so far, plagued by high-profile departures, internal conflicts and a sharp decline in performance.
And things are not going to get any better according to Ralf Schumacher: McLaren, with Lando Norris just 52 points behind Max Verstappen in the drivers’ championship after his victory in Singapore, should become even more competitive over the next few races.
“The McLaren is by far the best car,” said the former F1 driver.
“We now come to tracks that suit the McLaren even better. Norris drove in a different league to Max in Singapore, and there are still plenty of points to be gained.”
“Ferrari was also fast in the race with Charles. If he can also take points from Max, as he could have done in Singapore, I think Lando has a really good chance.”
Red Bull have been encouraged, however, by a slight improvement in their balance and car pace in the last two Grands Prix, in Baku and Singapore, with Norris comfortably dominating the final race.
“The qualifications were a bit misleading,” said Jan Lammers, the boss of the Dutch GP and another former F1 driver.
“We thought Red Bull were close, but the disappointment came in the race. I think it was a cold shower for Red Bull.”
Lammers believes Verstappen will eventually win his fourth consecutive drivers’ title this season, but even Red Bull are starting to give up on the constructors’ crown.
“Sergio Perez is the biggest problem. Max’s world championship is going pretty well.”
“But if Perez continues to be inconsistent, Red Bull will also have second place in the constructors’ championship to worry about. They have a lot to think about besides the balance of the car.”
Former Red Bull driver Robert Doornbos admits that Verstappen’s championship is not really in danger, especially since an unbroken winning streak for Norris will not be enough even if Verstappen continues to finish 2nd.
“That’s not going to happen. Look at what happened in Singapore – Norris almost lost the race three times.”
However, McLaren’s pace advantage is now more than clear, the Dutchman admits.
“Initially we thought Max could win, with the gap being two or three seconds. But then a gap of 23 seconds after 28 laps? And it could have been much more. Red Bull and Max actually get a 10/10 for execution – 2nd in qualifying and 2nd in the race. There was nothing more to it than that.”
“Everything will now depend on their developments in Austin.”
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