Four wins out of five, three one-two finishes out of five. And, when you include the two preceding seasons, 35 wins from 38 races. A fourth straight title for Max Verstappen looked like a foregone conclusion.
Not anymore. Not now, with Lando Norris gradually cutting Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ standings, and McLaren just six points behind in the constructors’ championship. The previously irrepressible Verstappen now looks lost at sea, without a win in six races, and with familiar complaints raging across the airwaves. His main hope looks, at this point, to be McLaren bottling their opportunity: the papaya’s indecisiveness could well save his title.
Regardless, after a weekend where Red Bull were indisputably the fourth-quickest car at the Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen was gloom ridden. After races at a high-downforce circuit in Zandvoort and a low-downforce circuit in Monza, it is now clear: Red Bull are off the pace.
“At the moment both championships are not realistic,” he said, after finishing sixth in a damage limitation performance. “There are no excuses. Last year we had a great car, the most dominant car ever, but we have turned it into a monster so we have to turn it around. We have gone from a dominant car to an undriveable car in the space of six to eight months. That is very weird. We need to turn the car upside down.”
Denne historien er fra September 03, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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Denne historien er fra September 03, 2024-utgaven av The Independent.
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