Red Bull’s situation described as “catastrophic” | Form “killing” Max Verstappen

Ex-F1 team boss Eddie Jordan has described Red Bull’s form as “catastrophic” following a difficult Italian Grand Prix.

Red Bull endured their worst weekend of the 2024 F1 campaign so far as Max Verstappen could only finish sixth, nearly 38 seconds behind race winner Charles Leclerc.

It has left Red Bull vulnerable at the top of both championships, with their lead over McLaren just eight points.

Verstappen sits 62 points ahead of Lando Norris in the F1 drivers’ championship though with eight rounds remaining.

Speaking on the latest episode of the Formula for Success podcast, Jordan reflected on Red Bull’s plight and what he’d do if he was in charge.

“What was the setup that we had at the beginning? What was the setup we had when we were winning by 15 seconds and we were cruising? What has changed? Show me the upgrades because sure as heaven these upgrades haven’t worked,” he explained.

“You’re fooling yourself, you’re trying to believe in a wind tunnel that’s obviously given you miscalculations.

“Let’s go back to where we were and start from there. Make sure nothing gets changed until we can categorically guarantee that it’s quicker. That’s the way I feel about it. It’s now catastrophic.”

Jordan believes Red Bull boss Christian Horner has a “massive job” to turn things around in the final stretch of the year.

“Christian Horner has a massive job on his hands because he has to take out the big stick and start cracking it,” he added. “

We all were slagging off Perez but maybe Perez and that car - that’s the speed of the car, and what Max is doing is what Max is able to do. Beyond any doubt he’s the best driver in F1 in my opinion at this moment in time. Therefore, to finish fifth and fourth, or six, whatever it is, it must be killing him at this stage.”

Verstappen ‘carrying’ Red Bull

Former Red Bull driver Mark Webber thinks the warning signs have been there for some time.

Webber feels that Red Bull have relied on Verstappen’s brilliance to get him over the line on a number of occasions.

“It was a well oiled machine,” Webber explained. “Max has carried that team for a while now, this season. We’ve seen Barcelona, we’ve seen Silverstone, Imola. Lewis Hamilton’s win at Silverstone was absolutely extraordinary but Max’s P2 was top draw. We’ve seen some very, very special drives from Max.

“That car has times, as he’s called it himself, in his own words, has turned into a monster. Let’s see. It’s the fine gains. If they get a little bit back, you don’t know. It can change.”