Christian Horner shares ‘reality’ of Red Bull’s issues after difficult Italian Grand Prix

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Red Bull enjoyed one of their most miserable races in recent memory at the Italian Grand Prix, as their rivals continued to close the gap in both championships.

Max Verstappen called the RB20 a ‘monster’ as he battled his way to sixth-place at Monza, losing eight points to main title rival Lando Norris in the process.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit were also nearly one second from the pace of McLaren in qualifying, at one of the quickest tracks on the calendar.

With their car now effectively fourth fastest, and their advantage in both chances diminishing with every weekend that goes by – it seems as if they need a miracle upgrade to thrust themselves back into contention.

Christian Horner shares ‘reality’ of Red Bull’s poor performance

Last place in the speed traps was an alarming stat for Red Bull at Monza, who face the longest straight in the sport at Azerbaijan in two weeks, followed by their 2023 bogey track in Singapore after that.

Their constructors’ championship advantage is now just eight points, while Verstappen looks set to face an uphill battle for the drivers’ on his hands.

Speaking to PA Media‘s Philip Duncan, Horner warned that the team are probably the fourth fastest outfit in the sport now.

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“Based on the performance in Monza, you’d say both championships are under absolute pressure,” he said. “We were the fourth fastest team, and that’s the reality.

“We are under pressure to turn it around and nobody puts us under more pressure than ourselves because finishing six hurts. If we want to make sure we win both titles, we’ve got to put performance on the car.”

Can Red Bull rescue their season?

Towards the end of 2021, despite having a slower car than Mercedes, Verstappen found a way to make sure that Red Bull took home a title.

In 2024, it appears the same fate may await him, with the constructors’ title a foregone conclusion unless his teammate Sergio Perez can find a miraculous turn of pace.

READ MORE: Franco Colapinto shares what’s ‘not great news’ after his promising F1 debut at Monza

Having Adrian Newey around the table would be very handy right now, but the Brit is now allowed to announce his next team after negotiating his release from Red Bull in May.

It would be a great shame if the championship was to peter out so slowly, but the direction its headed in at the moment leaves fans questioning whether the team will even be able to recover for 2025.

Could this sudden turn of pace leave Verstappen searching for another drive? Losing a fourth consecutive title after winning seven of the first 10 races would be tough to swallow, and may push him to explore other avenues for the future.