Sky F1 pundit Martin Brundle claims Red Bull performance decline caused by shock news

F1 News & Gossip

Brundle claims Red Bull performance decline caused by SHOCK news

Red Bull's rivals have made huge strides in recent races

Tyler Rowlinson

Friday 31 May 2024 11:53

Sky Sports F1 pundit Martin Brundle has offered his assessment on the recent dip in form from Red Bull.

The defending champions had been largely unchallenged since the start of the ground-effect era but after recent races, the 2024 season has proven that the Milton Keynes squad and Max Verstappen can be beaten.

Article continues under video

After winning 19 of the 22 races last season, Verstappen has already been beaten in three of the first eight races of 2024 - two of them coming in the last three grands prix.

In Miami and Imola, McLaren took the fight to Red Bull with their new upgrades, with Lando Norris winning in Miami and coming within three quarters of a second of grabbing back-to-back victories next time out at Imola.

Red Bull had a difficult weekend in Monaco

Charles Leclerc claimed victory at his home Grand Prix

Ferrari and McLaren close gap to Red Bull

Monaco proved to be a difficult weekend for Red Bull as the RB20 struggled around the bumps and kerbs of the street circuit, with Verstappen finishing sixth and Sergio Perez crashing out on the opening lap after being eliminated in the first part of qualifying.

Charles Leclerc broke his Monaco curse to win his home race, reducing three-time champion Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship to 31 points.

And Brundle believes that the internal troubles surrounding the team since pre-season have played a huge factor in other teams catching up to them.

McLaren and Ferrari have taken the fight to Red Bull in recent races

The shocking allegations against Christian Horner have sparked a power struggle within the team, which is believed to have played a part in legendary engineer Adrian Newey making the decision to leave Red Bull at the end of the 2024 campaign.

Writing on his Sky Sports column, Brundle gave his verdict on the situation, saying: "Ferrari and McLaren are on a fine run, both teams and driver pairings looking very cohesive, focused, and well structured.

"This means that Red Bull are very much looking in their rear mirrors in both the drivers' and constructors' championships and it appears to be game-on with so many races to come.

"I personally have no doubt the internal events at Red Bull have detracted from their recent performances, and they'll be desperately keen to resume normal service in Montreal next time out."

Red Bull Max Verstappen McLaren Lando Norris Daniel Ricciardo Martin Brundle