Max Verstappen onboard showed Martin Brundle how much of a ‘handful’ Red Bull has become

Follow us on Google Discover

Martin Brundle was far from impressed by the Red Bull RB20 during qualifying for the Italian Grand Prix, as the Austrian team struggled.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were off the pace and couldn’t get close to Lando Norris who took pole position.

The pair will start in seventh and eighth at Monza and are under real pressure in the Constructors’ Championship as McLaren are just 30 points behind.

Red Bull’s lack of form in recent races means that they haven’t taken a race victory since the Spanish Grand Prix in June and dropped behind Ferrari and Mercedes in Italy.

Martin Brundle believes the Red Bull ‘looked such a handful’ in qualifying

Sky Sports F1 pundit Brundle felt the Red Bull was difficult to drive at Monza, particularly through the very fast Ascari chicane near the end of the lap, which is focused on the car’s high-speed grip.

Both Red Bulls were more than half a second slower than Norris, and Verstappen was five-tenths down on the next quickest car, Lewis Hamilton.

This lack of speed has been consistent for multiple rounds and on a variety of circuits, such as the high downforce Zandvoort last time out and very quick Monza.

READ MORE: Karun Chandhok shares if Monza track change will benefit Max Verstappen or Lando Norris

Brundle was concerned by the Red Bull’s performance and how quickly they’ve lost speed relative to their rivals over the year.

He said while commentating on qualifying for Sky Sports F1: “It looked such a handful. When we picked him up with a heli-shot through the Ascari chicane towards the end of the lap, it was all over the place. What on earth is going on with that car? It’s gone from being on rails to looking really quite difficult to drive.”

Red Bull may struggle to score a podium at Monza in the Italian Grand Prix

Monza has been a good track for Red Bull over the past couple of seasons, as Verstappen has comfortably won over the last two years.

The team’s lack of raw speed this year is a surprise after their strong start to the season and Red Bull have a lot of work to do to stand on the podium after Sunday’s Grand Prix.

READ MORE: Toto Wolff says 2025 is not a one-year shootout between Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Max Verstappen

The top six cars were significantly quicker than the rest of the field and within two-tenths of each other with such fine margins over a single lap.

Verstappen has been capable of getting the maximum out of his car throughout his career, but scoring a podium won’t be easy as Norris may continue to cut his 70-point championship lead.