Verstappen endures difficult season at Red Bull: The big announcement that there’s an even tougher year ahead for the world champion – Despite clinching his fourth consecutive Formula 1 World Championship title at the end of the 2024 season, Max Verstappen’s year was far from smooth sailing. Unlike previous seasons when his dominance was almost unquestionable, the Dutchman faced unexpected struggles, particularly during a mid-season slump that temporarily opened the door for his rivals.
At 27, Verstappen started the 2024 campaign as the undisputed favourite. Red Bull had established themselves as the dominant force in F1, and after securing three consecutive titles from 2021 to 2023, many expected the team to continue their run of dominance. However, a significant dip in performance midway through the season caused concern within the Red Bull camp and gave a glimmer of hope to rivals such as Lando Norris and McLaren.
Although Verstappen and Red Bull managed to recover and ultimately secure the championship, the Dutchman admitted he never fully understood the cause of the team’s struggles during that period.
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A slump with no clear answers
Reflecting on the season, Verstappen openly acknowledged the difficulties he faced, particularly in understanding why Red Bull’s pace had dropped so drastically.
“[The 2024 season] was more difficult. Everyone had a hard time understanding, obviously me too, I didn’t understand why we were there,” Verstappen admitted in an interview with Motorsport.com.
“So [it was] just about asking questions, working together, looking at the data, looking at the analysis that was done after every race.”
This period of uncertainty was uncharacteristic for Red Bull, a team known for its meticulous approach to problem-solving and fine-tuning performance. As rivals such as McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes made significant strides, Red Bull struggled to maintain its dominance. The sudden dip in form raised questions as to whether it was due to regulatory changes, development missteps or external factors such as tyre management and car set-up challenges.
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Verstappen’s role in team troubleshooting
While Verstappen is widely regarded as one of the most naturally gifted drivers on the grid, he was quick to clarify that he does not pretend to be an engineer. His role in solving the team’s problems has largely been one of providing feedback rather than technical solutions.
“Obviously I’m not an engineer, I’m not going to tell them how to design a floor or something like a suspension,” Verstappen explained.
“But I can ask questions and when we talk, we look at what we can see from the data from the track, from the wind tunnel, from CFD [computational fluid dynamics], all those things; from the simulator [as well].”
This hands-on approach, combined with Red Bull’s renowned engineering expertise, ultimately helped the team overcome their mid-season struggles. However, Verstappen’s comments suggest that the reasons for the drop in performance have remained somewhat elusive, even to those within the team.
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What went wrong at Red Bull?
The mystery surrounding Red Bull’s mid-season slump has led to widespread speculation among F1 analysts. A few key theories have emerged:
1. Regulatory adjustments: The FIA has a history of making minor tweaks to the regulations during the season, particularly when one team appears to be too dominant. Red Bull’s dip in form coincided with technical directives aimed at limiting flexible bodywork and floor designs – areas where Red Bull had previously gained a competitive edge.
2. Developmental misstep: Red Bull’s aggressive development at the start of the season may have left them vulnerable later in the year. Teams such as McLaren and Mercedes made significant gains through mid-season upgrades, while Red Bull may have reached a plateau.
3. Tyre management and track conditions: Verstappen has always excelled at tyre management, but there have been races where Red Bull’s tyre degradation has been more severe than expected. Certain circuits, weather conditions and track surfaces may have exposed weaknesses in their set-up.
4. Increased competition: McLaren and Ferrari made significant strides in 2024, with Norris and Charles Leclerc putting in performances that put pressure on Red Bull. While Verstappen still held the overall lead, the competition was much closer than in previous years.
Red Bull livery change at Verstappen’s request
Looking ahead to 2025
With the 2025 season fast approaching, all eyes will be on Red Bull to see if they have successfully addressed the weaknesses that surfaced in 2024. The team has historically been adept at solving performance issues and staying ahead of the competition, but their mid-season struggles last year showed that they are not invincible.
The first real test will come at the season opener in Australia on the weekend of 14-16 March. By then it will be clear whether Red Bull have regained full control or whether their rivals have managed to close the gap even further.
For Verstappen, the goal remains the same: to continue his dominance and secure a fifth world championship. But 2024 was a reminder that even the best teams can face unexpected challenges – and that staying at the top of Formula One is never guaranteed.
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MORE F1 NEWS – Mario Andretti breaks silence on silly F1 politics
The Andretti father and son have kept their silence since Liberty Media’s F1 operating company (FOM) decided to do a U-Turn on its decision to exclude them from joining the sport. The FIA who regulate F1 had previously given the green light to the Andretti Racing organisation yet a number of the teams had made clear their opposition to an eleventh team.
Of course the issue was all about money as Christian Horner made clear when FOM announced an agreement had been reached over an eleventh team. Surprisingly the F1 bosses appeared to be taken aback around the time of the announcement as the Red Bull boss made clear when asked at the recent Las Vegas Grand Prix
“There’s a lot of rumours going around,” he told Sky F1.“Nobody’s spoken to us about it, but who knows. Obviously, for an American team to come in, I think would be a positive.” …READ MORE ON THIS STORY
With over 30 years of experience in Formula 1 as an insider journalist, I have built trusted connections across the paddock, from race engineers and mechanics to senior team figures. At The Judge 13, I and a handful of trusted colleagues share exclusive Formula 1 news, expert analysis and behind-the-scenes stories you will not find in mainstream motorsport media.
