Mercedes boss Toto Wolff has warned Red Bull’s rivals to write them off at their peril, labelling the team’s recent drop-off in performance as “really weird” while praising Max Verstappen’s individual ability for keeping the car competitive.
Having set the pace earlier in the season, Red Bull is now struggling to compete at the top of the field, with Verstappen finishing sixth having qualified in seventh and team-mate Sergio Perez unable to improve on his eighth-placed start at last weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.
With McLaren’s updates turning it into the fastest on the grid, Mercedes stepping up to challenge for wins before the summer break and Ferrari also making moves forward, Red Bull has found itself in a fight to keep hold of the drivers’ and constructors’ championships.
Verstappen himself said after the poor showing in Monza that it was “not realistic” for Red Bull to retain both crowns, with Lando Norris 62 points shy of the Dutchman in the drivers’ standings and McLaren trailing by just eight points in the constructors’.
Wolff, whose Mercedes squad fought tooth and nail for supremacy against Red Bull in the past, said it had been strange to see their rivals lose their pace – but refused to rule out a change in circumstances before it is too late.
“It is really weird. I have no insight obviously but that is not at all the Red Bull at the start of the year – dominant,” he said.
“I think that Max was able to keep it going for a while with his ability, but it seems now that [the pace has gone] from the sheer results - and that is what I see without understanding or knowing what is going on inside - because it could be a blip, also.
“[Monza] was probably one of the worst races that we have seen for many years, to have no pace. But who am I to say that? We had two years where nothing functioned, and it was the same with Ferrari a few races ago.
“So I don’t think you can write them off, they are a formidable team and I’m sure there will be better races, but McLaren is clearly the favourite now for the constructors championship, they have two drivers scoring and I bet Red Bull didn’t expect that at the beginning of the year."
Different tracks, weather conditions, tyre wear and updates mean that the gap between the frontrunners is small enough that predicting who will finish on the podium is not an easy task.
That is a far cry from the recent dominance shown by Red Bull and Verstappen – the last seven grands prix have been won by six different drivers with only Lewis Hamilton more than once a victor in that run.
For Wolff, that means a better product for supporters: “It is great for Formula 1, it is real rock and roll,” he said.
“Look at Ferrari, they had some really off weekends and then came alive in Zandvoort in the race, and with a clever strategy they won in Monza.
“These oscillations that we see between these top four teams are great news for the fans and great news for the sport. There are seven or eight cars that are able to race for a podium and that is great.”
Red Bull will certainly be hoping for a quick fix ahead of the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where a similar result to Monza would see McLaren leapfrog them to the top of the constructors' table.
