McLaren’s ‘big secret’ was exposed at Monza and it explains Red Bull’s conspiracy theories

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Red Bull took an unexpected victory at the Italian Grand Prix with Max Verstappen smashing the record previously held by Michael Schumacher.

The Dutchman produced the fastest ever Grand Prix on Sunday, beating the record from 2003 held by Schumacher by around a minute, and also held the record for the fastest average speed in qualifying.

Red Bull made key learnings at Zandvoort that enabled them to exploit their car’s potential at Monza, while team principal Laurent Mekies was praised for his ‘common sense’ approach by Verstappen.

McLaren’s Lando Norris finished 19 seconds behind Verstappen and while much of that could be down to their strategy, which was waiting for a safety car, it also highlighted the main strength of their car.

Nelson Piquet Jr believes Monza exposed the ‘big secret’ of McLaren’s MCL39 when speaking on the Pelas Pistas, which perhaps put some of Red Bull’s conspiracy theories into perspective.

Monza showed McLaren’s ‘big secret’ that explains Red Bull conspiracies

McLaren have been put under the spotlight by Red Bull for various technical reasons, notably their brake systems, which were cleared by the FIA earlier this year.

Zak Brown was reportedly aggravated at Red Bull’s suggestions that McLaren was doing something untoward to gain an advantage, but Piquet Jr believes their Monza performance showed where their true strengths lie.

“We never expected that, right? Red Bull is doing so well. It was clear that the Red Bull car was better this weekend, but it’s a totally different configuration from the other tracks. Just straights, there are a few long radius curves, so it’s a very atypical track,” said Piquet Jr.

“I think the whole issue is that when you get into a more technical part, with these tracks like Austria and more traditional tracks that heat up the tyres a lot, everyone has a problem heating up the tyres. That’s why there were stories of water inside the tyre to try and cool so it lasts longer.

“Monza isn’t a track that heats up the tyres very much, so this is the advantage that McLaren has. The big secret is that they can push harder without overheating the tyres, and Monza doesn’t have it, that’s why it was better for Red Bull.”

Will Red Bull’s performance last in the final races?

The ‘key detail’ to Verstappen’s pole lap at Monza was the low-drag rear wing that was introduced at Spa Francorchamps, according to former F1 strategist Ruth Buscombe, something that is expected to be on the car at upcoming races.

Red Bull’s win at Monza is a good sign for circuits that utilise low downforce setups, with Azerbaijan, Mexico and the US Grands Prix all standouts.

Verstappen has a good track record at all these tracks and could capitalise if Red Bull have a good Saturday without any penalties.

Monza was clearly a turning point for the team, but McLaren’s strengths will still be apparent at the majority of circuits in the final races of the season.