What a senior Red Bull figure told McLaren about the Constructors’ Championship

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Red Bull endured a difficult afternoon during the Italian Grand Prix when neither of their drivers finished inside the top five and title rivals McLaren closed in the championship.

Max Verstappen finished in sixth at Monza where he was off the pace for most of the weekend, while the race was won by Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc after the team put him on a risky strategy that paid off.

Oscar Piastri was the lead McLaren that finished in second, while Lando Norris finished third having kept his record up of losing first on the opening lap of a race from pole.

Despite the disappointing result for McLaren, Norris cut Verstappen’s title lead to 62 points and McLaren is now within eight points of Red Bull in the Constructors’ Championship.

With such a shocking display from the Milton Keynes squad, journalist Julianne Cerasoli shared what she was told a senior member of Red Bull said to someone in McLaren after the race.

Red Bull now focused on Drivers’ Championship

Red Bull was 71 points ahead of McLaren in the Constructors’ Championship after the British Grand Prix in July, but in the last four races that advantage has been significantly slashed.

Cerasoli says an unnamed senior member of the Red Bull team told a member from McLaren where their focus is now with eight races left to run.

“Someone from McLaren was telling me that a senior Red Bull figure told them that the Constructors is already lost,” said Cerasoli.

“So Red Bull have given up on the Constructors and now are more focused on the Drivers’ Championship because they don’t think they can win it.”

Red Bull facing ‘engineering problem’ with RB20

Christian Horner says the team is now having to scramble to figure out an ‘engineering solution to an engineering problem’ with the RB20, after claiming they are now the fourth fastest car in F1.

While observing their car during practice for the Italian GP, Martin Brundle spotted how the Red Bull no longer looks like it was on rails with Verstappen at the wheel.

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

Technical director Pierre Wache identified three potential reasons why Red Bull’s 2024 upgrades have not worked as intended, which is the main reason why the team is now struggling to keep up with rivals.

As we enter the final eight races, Red Bull will need to come up with a quick solution otherwise they could see both titles slip away if Verstappen is unable to challenge for podiums.