Martin Brundle’s ‘too strange’ concern after Max Verstappen’s ‘monster’ claim

Max Verstappen salvaged sixth place from a troubled Italian Grand Prix.

Scoring the 1-2 last season at Monza, Martin Brundle claims there is something “too strange” this year with Red Bull’s drop-off in pace that led to a P6-P8 result.

Having dominated last year’s championship with 21 wins in 22 races, Red Bull’s supremacy has taken a hit, and a hard one at that.

Martin Brundle’s ‘too strange’ verdict

Although Max Verstappen won five of the opening seven races, he’s won just one of the last seven with Mercedes, McLaren and Ferrari taking to the top step of the podium.

The latter kept themselves in contention for the Constructors’ Championship with their Italian Grand Prix victory but the numbers favour McLaren, who took 22 points out of Red Bull’s lead to sit just eight behind with eight races remaining.

On a day when Ferrari scored 37 points, McLaren 32 and Red Bull just 12 in what was their worst double-car points haul of the championship, Verstappen called his RB20 a monster.

“Last year we had a great car, which was the most dominant car ever. And we basically turned it into a monster,” Verstappen told the media including PlanetF1.com at Monza. “So we have to turn it around.”

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Qualifying seventh for the Italian Grand Prix, Verstappen made up one position to finish P6 while his team-mate Sergio Perez was eighth and almost a full minute down on race winner Charles Leclerc.

Brundle says there is something “too strange” about Red Bull’s drop-off in pace.

“Red Bull started Verstappen and Sergio Perez on hard compound tyres on a counter strategy after their relatively lowly grid positions of seventh and eighth,” he wrote in his Sky Sports column.

“With the front runners racing the wheels and tyres off each other this looked smart, especially in the absence of a Safety Car.

“But some scruffy pit stops on laps 22 and 23 respectively, and thereafter relatively poor pace and opting for a two-stop strategy would consign Red Bull to sixth and eighth places.

“Max would call the car a ‘monster’ post race and it all seems too strange.

“They dominated the early season, and last year in Monza Max won his 10th straight race at a canter. This year he finished 38 seconds behind the winner.”

Finishing sixth to Lando Norris’ P3, Verstappen lost ground to his title rival with Brundle predicting an “enthralling end” to the championship.

“With eight races remaining, including three Sprint weekends and the extra points available, Norris is 62 points behind Verstappen in the Drivers’ Championship,” he said.

“The Constructors’ Championship is a different proposition given that McLaren are now just eight points behind Red Bull. But Ferrari are also only 39 points behind, and on current form that looks like a battle now between Ferrari and McLaren for top honours and the first garage in the pitlane next year.

“We’re still set for an enthralling end to this season.”

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