Red Bull’s reign in Formula 1 is in real danger now that their rivals are closing in. The Milton Keynes outfit didn’t get the Formula 1 2024 results they wanted in Monaco last time out, so they must regroup fast.
Fortunately for Christian Horner and co., the next race, the Canadian Grand Prix, is still a few weeks away, so they will have enough time to recharge their batteries while planning for their next upgrades.
Ferrari and McLaren have slashed the gap against Red Bull after the Monaco Grand Prix, with the former now trailing by only 24 points and the latter in third place with a 92-point deficit.
In the next few weeks, will there be a new team leading the constructors’ standings? At the moment, the SBOTOP Formula 1 2024 odds think that it is possible.
Ferrari finally got the breaks
The Prancing Horse is in a jovial mood after yet another successful outing from their two drivers last time out, as Charles Leclerc finally won in his home race while teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. secured a P3 finish.
Leclerc has had his share of heartbreaks in the streets of Monte Carlo, coming up short despite managing to secure pole positions. But on Sunday, he was not to be denied.
The Monegasque driver had a pretty straightforward race, as he avoided opening-lap drama, which saw multiple red flags after Sergio Perez, Kevin Magnussen, and Nico Hulkenburg were eliminated from the race after a nasty collision and teammate Carlos Sainz Jr. suffered a puncture on his car.
Charles Leclerc kept a cool head and put in an assured drive, as he finished the race with a whopping lead of seven seconds over McLaren’s Oscar Piastri, who finished P2.
As for Sainz, he wouldn’t be in this position if it weren’t for the red flag moments after he sustained a puncture during the opening lap.
He can pat himself on the back for a job well done, as he was able to absorb the pressure from Lando Norris while pushing Oscar Piastri to the limit in the closing stages.
Charles Leclerc has now secured five podiums in the last eight races, while Sainz recorded his fourth in the same span after ending his run of three consecutive P5 finishes.
Forgettable weekend for Red Bull
With Sergio Perez suffering a DNF for the first time this season after a woeful qualifying that saw him bumped out of Q1, Red Bull pinned their hopes on Max Verstappen to haul in as many points as possible to increase their lead, both in the drivers and constructors’ standings.
But alas, that didn’t go as planned, as the Dutchman only finished sixth on the grid. To many, that’s a good result, but not for Verstappen, the reigning Formula 1 world champion.
Red Bull’s RB20 struggled over the bumps and kerbs in the streets of Monte Carlo, as they were overtaken by the Ferraris, McLarens, and George Russell’s Mercedes. It didn’t help Max Verstappen either that the Milton Keynes outfit butchered their strategy after the early red flag.
Rather than going for the more aggressive medium tyres, Red Bull inexplicably gave Max Verstappen the hard yet durable tyres that allowed him to be overtaken.
This is easily Max Verstappen’s worst result in quite some time, other than his DNF in the Australian Grand Prix earlier this season.
As for teammate Sergio Perez, his mini-slump continues, as he hasn’t secured a podium spot in three straight races. Because of his recent setback, Perez has slumped to fifth in the drivers’ standings.
Kick Sauber hit a new low
Kick Sauber (previously known as Alfa Romeo) were one of the biggest losers in Monaco, as they remain the only Formula 1 team on the grid yet to score a point in 2024.
After a horrible qualifying, Valtteri Bottas got his worst starting spot of the year in 19th, while teammate Zhou Guanyu was at the back of the grid in 20th for the fifth time this season.
With their work cut out for them even before the actual race started, Bottas and Zhou predictably didn’t finish within the points, at P13 and P16, respectively.
The only bright spot for Kick Sauber during the Monaco Grand Prix was their improved pit crew, since they had their three fastest pit stops of the season thus far. But other than that, it’s back to the drawing board for the Zurich-based outfit. Bottas, once again, pointed out the C44’s pace, or lack thereof, and that’s a good place to start in terms of how to turn their fortunes around.
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