Today we saw a big change in the Formula One Constructors Championship where McLaren now find themselves out in front. At the start of the day they were lying in second 8 points behind Red Bull ad this evening they find themselves 20 points clear. Many predicted this could happen next week at the Singapore Grand prix so they have managed this one race earlier.
No one thought that the drop off in performance with Red Bull would be this catastrophic and now Ferrari look like a certainty to finish above them in second. At the start of this year with Red Bull dominating the first 4 of 5 races no one was expecting this.
Adrian Newey left Red Bull in the second week of March and ever since they have been on a steady decline not knowing how to fix the problems and find the lost speed and dominance they had.
Christian Horner the Principal of Red Bull Racing mentioned it is a similar scenario to Ronaldo leaving Manchester United for Real Madrid. He said nothing changes and champion teams continue to win and are not about one person, but a team effort. I think what is clear for everyone to see is Red Bull was all about one person and they are lacking the knowledge to fix their car issues.
It is funny how sport works where teams do everything they can to reach the top through innovation and just being the best at what they do, but at some point it all unravels leaving them back in the chasing pack. You would think they would do everything in their power to remain at number one and not be so arrogant thinking they are invincible.
Newey was hands on and he made sure the car stayed out in front from his tinkering done over race weekend. One thig I did learn tonight is he is still contracted to Red Bull until March 1st 2025. Red Bull could still use Newey over race weekends if they chose to instead of having him on gardening leave. Newey is not going to learn any secrets from this because he built the car nd why he is he best person to fix it. The problem is the team do not want to publicly admit they need Newey and made a mistake in letting him leave.
Formula One is all about the car and the driver secondly so if Max Verstappen wants to add more world drivers championships to his name it is looking more and more likely he will have to move teams. There are 7 races left this season and the other drivers are closing in slowly and it is mathematically feasible 4 drivers are now fighting for the title.