Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle blasts Red Bull 'challengers' for SHOCK decline

max verstappen, Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso, Adrian Newey, Canadian Grand Prix — Photo: © LAT Images

Aston Martin

Sky Sports F1 pundit blasts Red Bull 'challengers' for SHOCK decline

Red Bull have been in a league of their own during the current F1 season

Dan Davis

Wednesday 26 July 2023 18:57

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Martin Brundle has been left puzzled by Aston Martin's recent decline in form, with the Sky Sports pundit suggesting the team may have taken a 'wrong turn' this year.

The iconic British team started the season superbly, with Fernando Alonso claiming a podium place in five of the first seven races, but have since struggled in comparison to their rivals and dropped down the pecking order.

At the Hungarian Grand Prix, Alonso was forced to settle for a lowly ninth place and found himself 75 seconds behind runaway leader Max Verstappen.

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Team-mate Lance Stroll, meanwhile, clung onto the final points spot.

And now, Brundle has admitted to being unsure of the exact reasons behind the stark downturn in form but is hopeful they will be able to reverse their fortunes.

Brundle: 'We need them back'

Fernando Alonso finished 9th at the Hungarian Grand Prix

"It's difficult to work out how and why Aston Martin have fallen from main challengers to Red Bull to ninth and 10th some 75 seconds behind the winner, and fifth fastest car," he wrote in his latest Sky Sports column.

"They have clearly been overtaken by effective updates at other teams but I can't help but feel they've gone the wrong way somewhere.

"There's talk that the more robust tyre construction from Silverstone has hurt them, but this decline was apparent before then. Let's hope they can sort it out quickly with changes of their own, as we need them back in the hunt."

Heading into the final race before the summer break, Aston Martin are third in the constructors' championship but now sit 39 points behind Mercedes.