Ralf Schumacher forecasts upheaval at Red Bull, citing intense pressure and ongoing performance slumps.
Former F1 driver Ralf Schumacher has warned that “heads will roll” at Red Bull due to the “enormous pressure” the team faces following a poor streak of performances.
Red Bull’s position at the top of the Constructors’ Championship in F1 is seriously threatened, with McLaren now just eight points behind after the Italian Grand Prix.
What’s troubling for Red Bull is that they seem to lack a clear response to their ongoing decline.
At Monza, they were clearly the fourth fastest team, with Max Verstappen only managing to finish sixth.
“An honest answer? It won’t work anymore by the end of the year. For me, Red Bull is done for now. There’s uncertainty, and more heads will roll because of this uncertainty and because they are dissatisfied,” predicts Ralf Schumacher.
“Then, they need to start rebuilding first with new people and with those who remain. Of course, they will face enormous pressure from all sides. This will trigger a chain reaction and these are all factors that are coming into play now, and F1 moves too fast.”
“I’ve rarely seen a team deteriorate so much over the course of a season. I can’t think of any other example.”
“We’re soon going to circuits with more downforce, which seems to suit Red Bull better, but even there, this balance issue will continue to recur.”
While Lando Norris could only finish third at Monza, he has cut Verstappen’s lead to 62 points.
With eight rounds remaining, Norris is seriously in contention to win this year’s drivers’ championship, especially if Red Bull continues to struggle.
Schumacher regards Norris as the “favorite” for the championship.
“That’s how I see it, yes. In the constructors’ championship too, McLaren is favored, but also for third place, it will be exciting as Mercedes and Ferrari, who had a very good weekend, are in the mix. They will all take points from Red Bull.”
“Verstappen is far from second place at the moment and one thing must be remembered. The higher the pressure, the more mistakes they make. They made mistakes during the pit stop [with a slow right rear tire change at Monza], after which Verstappen again criticized his team.”
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