Max Verstappen will start the Italian GP in 7th place, following one of his worst qualifying sessions in recent memory. The RB20 is only the fourth-fastest car in Monza, failing to match the performance at McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes. To add insult to injury, Christian Horner admits that Red Bull don’t have an explanation for their lack of pace on fresh tyres.
Christian Horner admits to a fundamental problem with RB20
Red Bull have no answers
This generation of F1 cars are extremely sensitive, with even the smallest variables generating big impacts. Previously, it was Red Bull whose performance was relatively immune to external changes.
This is no longer the case. Even in the ideal performance window, the RB20’s handling is poor. Max Verstappen has spoken on numerous occasions about its lack of drivability.
Red Bull weren’t helped by a new problem emerging in qualifying. For reasons unknown to the team, the car went faster on worn tyres than on fresh ones.
Speaking in a post-session interview, Christian Horner was candid about the situation:
“It’s very tricky, I think we simply don’t understand it,” he told Sky Sports.
“We did a 19.6 on scrubs and couldn’t go better than 20.0 on two sets of new tyres. The balance just isn’t there – you can hear from his [Verstappen’s] comments.
“There’s something that fundamentally is happening that we’re not on top of at the moment.
“We obviously need to understand it and understand why on the older tyre we’re able to get that time.
“And [also understand] why, on two sets of new tyres, we couldn’t get anywhere near it,” Christian Horner concluded.
McLaren on the charge
Unless there is a dramatic incident in tomorrow’s race, McLaren could almost completely erase Red Bull’s advantage in the standings.
It is even plausible that the Woking-based team could overtake Christian Horner’s team. With no significant improvements anticipated from the factory, the team’s Championship appears increasingly lost.
Even the drivers’ Championship is at risk, with Max Verstappen lacking the machinery to prevent Norris from closing the gap.
Both on and off track, Red Bull must navigate a series of important decisions.
