Davide Valsecchi pinpoints what was ‘not good at all’ about Max Verstappen at Monza

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Red Bull surprised many at the Italian Grand Prix after the defending champions were miles off the pace compared to their rivals.

After winning seven of the opening 10 races, Max Verstappen has not won a race since Catalunya; the longest he has gone without a win since 2020.

Verstappen has also only taken pole position once in the last nine races, that coming in Austria.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

After finishing 22.8 seconds behind Lando Norris at the Dutch Grand Prix, Verstappen and Red Bull came into Monza not expecting to be at the front, and they would be proven right.

Verstappen qualified down in seventh and finished sixth, almost 38 seconds behind the winner Charles Leclerc. Onboard footage of the RB20 showed Martin Brundle how much of a handful the car was proving to be.

Davide Valsecchi says Max Verstappen’s qualifying lap was ‘not good at all’

But speaking on the F1 Nation Podcast, Formula 2 champion Davide Valsecchi pointed more towards the mistakes of Verstappen that cost the Dutchman.

Red Bull’s qualifying result was baffling for several F1 fans on social media. Verstappen was seven tenths down on pole sitter Norris as he finished on the same tenth as teammate Sergio Perez, who qualified behind the Dutchman in eighth.

While the Red Bull looked off the pace, Valsecchi highlighted Verstappen’s errors in qualifying that showed the 26-year-old was not on his usual level that fans and pundits have come to know over the last few seasons.

Speaking after the race at Monza, he said: “Tell me about the quali, but its Mark Verstappen and no one is complaining.

“I mean this kid is amazing, this kid already got the three world champion[ships], but Verstappen in Q3 was not on this level.

“He made the mistake in the first try he made a mistake at the exit of La Roggia. I know that it’s easy to say and speak about mistakes, but it was not perfect in Ascari.

“I mean that lap was not good at all, half a second behind Lewis Hamilton, same tenth of his teammate.

“I mean it was okay, it was not special and we were used, we got used to seeing Verstappen by far better than anyone else.

“This weekend for the first time probably this year, we saw a normal Verstappen.”

McLaren are significantly closing the gap to Max Verstappen and Red Bull

Red Bull’s struggles have blown the championship wide open for Nico Rosberg, and the German would be correct as the team and Verstappen’s lead in their respective championships are being to dwindle.

McLaren sit just eight points behind the Milton Keynes-based squad after Oscar Piastri and Norris finished second and third respectively at Monza. With Perez not finishing in the top five since Miami, McLaren are expected to fly past Red Bull in the standings.

In the drivers’ championship, Norris has closed the gap to Verstappen to 62 points, aided by the Brit again achieving the fastest lap of the race on the final lap.

Red Bull’s dramatic drop-off in performance and results is alarming, as McLaren appear to have the best package on the grid, with Ferrari and Mercedes clearly showing that they have caught up with their results at Monza.

With there being just eight races left to defend the title, Verstappen will be desperately hoping his team can get their act together with McLaren quickly catching up.