Toto Wolff mystified by ‘unbelievable’ problem Red Bull are having this season

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Red Bull head into this weekend’s Singapore Grand Prix looking to end a seven-race victory drought. That kind of statement was unthinkable at the start of the season.

When Red Bull secured consecutive one-two finishes in the opening two rounds, crushing the rest of the field, there were legitimate fears that they would win every race. They’d won 21 out of 22 Grands Prix last year and many predicted a similar level of dominance with minimal changes to the regulations.

Max Verstappen’s retirement at the Australian GP quickly precluded a clean sweep, but he cruised to victory in Japan and China to make it four from five. It was at that point that the competition rather suddenly closed up.

Red Bull have only won three of the 12 races since, with McLaren taking four, Mercedes three and Ferrari two. Christian Horner will feel that this stat paints a misleading picture of their performance drop-off.

Verstappen was leading in Austria before a late collision with Lando Norris, and he likely would have won in Belgium without the 10-place engine penalty that denied him pole position. But the car has clearly become difficult to drive based on the Dutchman’s recent radio messages.

Indeed, Verstappen upset some Red Bull staff with his complaints after qualifying for the Azerbaijan GP. While he still retains a comfortable 59-point lead in the championship, Red Bull’s regression has injected jeopardy into the final stretch of races.

Mercedes boss Toto Wolff unsure why Red Bull have ‘gone backwards’ in 2024

Speaking to Austrian outlet OE24, Mercedes team principal Toto Wolff addressed his rivals’ decline. He finds the extent of it ‘unbelievable’.

Red Bull have lost legendary designer Adrian Newey, who’s joining Aston Martin for 2025. Newey hasn’t been involved with the RB20 since the Japanese GP when he decided to leave.

Elsewhere, sporting director Jonathan Wheatley is set to join Audi next year. Wheatley will at least continue to carry out his role until the end of the season.

“It’s unbelievable how things have gone backwards for them,” Wolff said.

Asked if the ‘internal turmoil’ at Milton Keynes might be partly responsible, he replied: “When you lose so many important people, it has to have some effect.”

Why the Red Bull camp are ‘really worrying’ about the Singapore Grand Prix

Red Bull expect to be competitive again from Austin onwards, but they’re braced for a difficult weekend in Singapore. Sergio Perez’s Baku crash was a ‘massive setback’, with the lack of spare parts scuppering a planned testing programme.

The lengthy break between the races at Marina Bay and the Circuit of the Americas will give Red Bull plenty of time to analyse their missteps. But it’s also true that their recent upgrades have failed to deliver the anticipated performance gains.

They surrendered the lead of the constructors’ championship to McLaren following the Azerbaijan GP. And the expectation is that the 20-point deficit will grow this weekend.

Red Bull are ‘really worrying’ about Singapore, having accepted they could be ‘nowhere’. It was a major aberration for Horner’s squad last year as the only race they failed to win, with Verstappen coming home fifth to bust a 100% podium record.