Red Bull have lost their place on top of the constructors’ championship standings for the first time in more than two years.
The team won the constructors’ title twice during that time. However with seven rounds remaining in 2024, McLaren have displaced them at the top of the standings.McLaren have won the constructors’ championship eight times before. However their last triumph came in 1998, seven years before Red Bull entered F1. The reigning champions took their sixth title last year.
Red Bull looked on course to win the title for the third year in a row when they racked up 239 points over the first six rounds. At that stage McLaren were only third in the standings with 124 points – little more than half the leaders’ tally.
However that round in Miami was a watershed moment in the championship. McLaren introduced a significant upgrade for their car which, aided by a timely Safety Car period, helped Lando Norris to victory in that weekend’s grand prix.
They’ve built on that since. In the following 11 rounds, Red Bull have only out-scored them once.
The pressure applied by McLaren led Red Bull to briefly reconsider their driver line-up. Following the British Grand Prix, where Sergio Perez failed to score for the third time in five races, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner admitted his performance was “unsustainable”.
However two races later, in which time Perez contributed a pair of seventh places, Horner told Red Bull’s staff the team would not change its driver line-up before the end of the year. That decision appears to be hurting them, as Max Verstappen is responsible for a much larger share of Red Bull’s points total than either of McLaren’s drivers are.
It is the first time McLaren has led the constructors’ championship since the 2014 Australian Grand Prix, more then 10 years ago. They finished second to Red Bull in the title race in 2010 and 2011.
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Nikos (@exeviolthor)
15th September 2024, 13:52
Perez just can’t get a break…
BLS (@brightlampshade)
15th September 2024, 13:56
I’ve only seen the one replay but it looks like neither really steered into the other. They had the mildest of rubs and it just dragged them into each other.
It’s a shame for Perez as otherwise he’d had a cracking weekend compared to the usually unbeatable Verstappen.
As it is he’s now fallen behind Russell as well in the WCC
Anon A. Mouse
15th September 2024, 13:59
I watched both onboards a few times and it should amount to a racing incident. Sainz keeps the wheel straight, however his exit line would inevitably take him towards Perez given there’s a bend in that straight. Perez could have used more of the space on his left but it wasn’t like he was squeezing Sainz to the right hand wall.
Terence Murphy
16th September 2024, 15:48
I am glad to see that the red bull cheats are finally found out since the fia found out that they altered the rear axle to enable them to steer out of the corners.
Since then they have been taught a lesson , Horner has always been a cheater in the sport of motor racing and this will be his downfall and hopefully his exit from racing.
David BR (@david-br)
15th September 2024, 13:58
@exeviolthor Nor Sainz. Looked like Pérez didn’t give enough room.
Nikos (@exeviolthor)
15th September 2024, 14:06
Well Sainz has had his good days this year. Perez for once was beating Max and then he just ruined it.
Esploratore (@esploratore1)
15th September 2024, 14:11
Yes, that’s a shame for perez, who very very rarely gets the chance to beat verstappen, apart from that it’s a good thing for mclaren, who would’ve already been leading the championship, but does so with margin now, and for williams, who got significantly more points now.
Hamilton’s or mercedes’ race remains meh, with or without points\podium and ferrari pretty much lost as much as red bull from the crash.
David BR (@david-br)
15th September 2024, 14:08
So Red Bull’s reign is over for now. I expect they’ll have Verstappen for 2025 but if he announces he’s leaving next year, you’ve got to wonder whether this isn’t the end of an era looming.
Davethechicken
15th September 2024, 14:19
I don’t understand your logic.
Only if you ignore the fact that Perez was on for a strong second. Red Bull are right up there still. They looked just as fast if not faster than McLaren with Sergio following lap after lap right behind Charles and Oscar.
Just because Max had a poor weekend doesn’t mean the car isn’t good.
Nikos (@exeviolthor)
15th September 2024, 14:22
The car is definitely good, but the team does not fully understand it very well yet. Verstappen was saying yesterday that they made a set up error before qualifying.
Davethechicken
15th September 2024, 14:30
I agree Nikos. small margins between Ferrari McLaren and Red Bull now with variations week on week. Mercedes seem a step behind.
David BR (@david-br)
15th September 2024, 15:03
This is a total Pérez circuit with its 90 degree corners. So I don’t see Baku as representative. Sure they’re showing pace intermittently but McLaren now have better consistency. So Red Bull seem, at best, to be alternating performance level with Ferrari and maybe Mercedes, but with real problems setting the car up. The question is also how Red Bull recover some form this year and develop into 2025 with Newey and others gone and the team apparently still in a factional war, albeit now bubbling under the surface. Verstappen clearly has options for 2026, Mercedes and Aston Martin above all. And if they lose Max, who replaces him?
Davethechicken
15th September 2024, 15:44
True, Perez does well in Baku, but so does Charles. A driver can only extract the performance available in a car.
Horner himself said post race Perez was quick enough to win today ergo so was the car.
It is always the case, without exception, that drivers do not match what the car can, it is impossible for a human to get 100% out of a car. The question is always who gets the most out of it.
Davethechicken
15th September 2024, 15:46
As for who would replace Max, other than Sainz I don’t see many options on the current grid. But with Colapinto and Bearman starting so well, there may be options beyond F1.
Dane
16th September 2024, 1:49
But if Perez showing up for one a race a year, they’re not getting a constructors title anytime soon.
Dave
15th September 2024, 19:18
But what contender can he go to in the foreseeable future? I think he is stuck with RBR for at least another 2 years –
Ferrari are set with LeClerc (long term) and Hamilton is signed through 2026. McLaren is set with Lando and Oscar.
Though Aston Martin seems possible, Alonso is signed through 2026 (and beyond if he chooses) and Lance will be there as long as Lawerance Stroll owns the team.
Mercedes- Maybe be the most likely. Even then, George makes mistakes but he’s fast and getting better. The spotlight may be on Kimi. If he drastically underperforms then Max could get his foot in the door.
I think the media is being a bit presumptuous assuming Max can pick any team he chooses. Obviously if life were fair, Lance would be out of a seat and Max and Fernando would be teammates next year.
RBR could rebound and be competitive again but they have lost a LOT of technical people with doesn’t bid good for them.
Jos can scream and shout all he wants. Unless you have a superior car, and it is far from guaranteed, WDC’s aren’t possible. Alonso and Vettel are two examples.
It’s looking like there won’t be a team dominating for years like Mercedes and that’s a good thing as we witnessed today.
Nick T.
15th September 2024, 15:14
Max to Mercedes or AM by 2026 or 2027 at latest. I could even see him taking a season off.
IMO, there should be a podium just for the engineers.
kuvemar
15th September 2024, 15:56
If they still want him by then. He’s getting more ordinary weekend by weekend.
Dave
15th September 2024, 19:24
Good point. If he gets outperformed by his teammate, his stock will go down. Vettel won 4 championships in a car that suited him but was never the same after that. I don’t think this will be the case with Max but stranger things have happened.
Dane
16th September 2024, 1:50
At this rate Ferrari will be beating Red Bull in the Constructors table pretty soon.