Former Formula 1 driver and Red Bull ambassador, David Coulthard, has expressed criticism over Red Bull’s recent performance. The Scotsman observed the team, led by Max Verstappen, falling behind in the development race and fears they are losing their grip on the constructor’s title. However, Coulthard believes Red Bull is not yet defeated: “They just need to fully exploit the potential of that car.”
“They are certainly not as strong as they used to be,” said David Coulthard in a conversation with Channel 4. “The lap times don’t lie. Red Bull is lagging behind, and the recent upgrades simply aren’t working. They are no longer the benchmark in terms of pure performance, and they realize this themselves.” Coulthard emphasized that the team needs to act quickly to win Grand Prix again. “They need to bring together the group of people who designed a brilliant racing car last year. That same car has even won seven races this year.”
The Threat from McLaren
According to David Coulthard, Max Verstappen is also making mistakes. In Monza, the Dutch driver hit his steering wheel in frustration after only achieving the seventh time after two qualifying rounds. “This is very unusual for Max,” said the Scot. “He might make one mistake, but twice in a row? That’s strange. He was on the same lap time as Sergio Perez!”
Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ championship has shrunk to 62 points compared to Lando Norris. Even more worrying for Red Bull is that the team only has an eight-point lead over McLaren in the constructors’ championship. According to Coulthard, McLaren is now the favorite for the championship, although the engineers in Milton Keynes can still turn things around. “They can still get it under control, but they need to fully exploit the potential of that car. The upgrades have not worked, but they still have the capabilities.”
