Peter Windsor explains why Red Bull are ‘in trouble’ after Monza qualifying

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Max Verstappen suffered a shocking qualifying performance at Monza, having set a time that was over half a second off the pace of title rival Lando Norris.

Red Bull was left scratching their heads when Max Verstappen failed to improve on a new set of soft tyres, while everyone else posted better lap times in Q3 on the evolving track surface.

Team principal Christian Horner believes Red Bull now has the fourth-fastest car, as they are now racing to find an ‘engineering solution’ to their current problems.

Alpine junior driver Abbi Pulling noted how Verstappen is being challenged for the first time, having easily taken victories in the last 18 months at the wheel of his Red Bull.

But after suffering a significant drop-off in form at the last five rounds, Peter Windsor explained why Red Bull’s qualifying performance shows just how in ‘trouble’ the team is when speaking on his YouTube channel.

Peter Windsor explains why Red Bull is ‘in trouble’ after Monza qualifying

The RB20 is known for being a difficult car to drive, as evidenced by Sergio Perez’s struggles throughout the season which nearly led to him losing his drive over the summer break.

The team tested older specification parts at Zandvoort back-to-back with their latest upgrades but appeared to not make any further progress.

Verstappen was unhappy with the lack of Monza-specific upgrades, considering the high top speeds teams experience in a straight line.

Windsor believes their qualifying performance at the track gives insight into how difficult it will be for Red Bull to get themselves out of their current situation.

“Verstappen lost 0.3 of a second in Q3 and went backwards on both his runs,” said Windsor.

“It just goes to show the trouble Red Bull are in and that they have no idea what they are doing with the car and how to react when the car is on a new set of tyres.

“To loose three tenths and be starting seventh, this has got to be the worst weekend he’s had in years.”

Helmut Marko wants investigation into McLaren and Mercedes

Helmut Marko was understandably frustrated by his team’s performance, as it appears their advantage from the start of the season has now faded.

The team is having to play catch up to McLaren, who could score a one-two and close the gap in the Constructors’ Championship with Red Bull only leading by 30 points heading into the Italian Grand Prix.

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

With the blistering pace of McLaren and Mercedes, Marko has called for an investigation from the FIA into their front wings.

Former F1 driver Damon Hill was left concerned over Marko’s comments, although it looks unlikely anything will come from it as the FIA increased the load tests for front wings during this season.