Red Bull suffered serious ‘psychological blow’ in Baku that will impact team morale

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Red Bull Racing are suffering their first serious setback in years after dominating the 2022 and 2023 Formula 1 seasons.

Max Verstappen was very much getting used to things going his way and racked up an impressive number of victories as a result.

Even when teammate Sergio Perez was struggling last year, Verstappen still scored more than enough points to win the Constructors’ Championship on his own.

For the first time in years, Red Bull have lost their grasp on the top of the standings, with McLaren taking a 20-point lead following Oscar Piastri’s victory in Baku.

The Azerbaijan Grand Prix was always going to be difficult for Red Bull but there were pros and cons to take away from the race.

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Speaking on the F1 Strategy Report Podcast, journalist Chris Medland was examining the mood within the Red Bull camp after the race.

After more than a year of ups and downs, Perez finally appeared to be in a good place with the car and was racing Piastri and Charles Leclerc for most of the race.

However, losing out on valuable points – and potentially his first podium since China – after a collision with Carlos Sainz is a bitter blow.

Not only that, but Helmut Marko believes Perez’s crash presents Red Bull with a massive setback for the next race in Singapore.

Verstappen looked miles off his usual high standards across the weekend and that too will concern the team going forward.

Red Bull suffered ‘psychological blow’ during Azerbaijan Grand Prix

Analysing Sunday’s race, Medland said: “I just think that McLaren executed the perfect race for both drivers and got the maximum points that they could get, but also still the maximum that Lando was going to get.

“It was a bit of a statement to Max that even when they have a shocker on a Saturday, they’re going to come back on a Sunday and they’re going to get big points.

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“The other side of it as well is it meant that McLaren got maximum points that they could get out of that race and took the lead in the Constructors’ Championship, that will hurt Red Bull, that will impact the atmosphere within that team.

“All the people working to build that car, they’ve got bonuses at the end of the year that rely on where they finish in the Constructors’ Championship.

“They’re going to feel that. So, even if Max’s title advantage is quite big, I think now that was actually a big psychological blow for Red Bull and more so than just a few points that Lando took out of it.”

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Red Bull know that they face a serious challenge to retain the Constructors’ Championship.

They can’t afford to focus purely on protecting Verstappen’s lead in the driver’s standings as they may need every point they can get from Perez rather than allowing the Mexican to protect his teammate.

Damon Hill has shared whether he thinks Red Bull can still win the title but right now the signs aren’t looking good.

Marko doesn’t expect Red Bull to be competitive in Singapore and judging by their performance 12 months ago, it’s easy to see why.

The car really struggles to ride curbs and on street circuits that issue is accentuated even further.