Qualifying at the 2024 British GP has put another mark on Red Bull’s decline. This Austrian team looks like a shadow of its former self in 2023, and defending its Manufacturer’s title looks like a daunting task. Likewise, Team Principal Christian Horner puts all his faith in Lewis Hamilton to save the team in Sunday’s race.
There was only one Red Bull car entering Q3, and unsurprisingly it was Max Verstappen. However, even this 26-year-old racer could only achieve P4 position at the end of the racing session.
In contrast, Hamilton finished in P2, right behind his Mercedes teammate George Russell, who brought his car to pole position. Starting third will be McLaren’s Lando Norris, Verstappen’s current rival in the Drivers’ Championship. As a result, Horner did not want Norris to win or finish ahead of his driver and he called for Hamilton to win the British GP as this would be the most favorable outcome for Red Bull.
According to AMuS Horner, “I never thought I would say this. But I’m praying for Hamilton. Mercedes is hurting us less than McLaren in the World Championship.”
Since the upgrade, Mercedes has been quick, giving the two championship leaders a fair fight. However, they are not a threat at the moment as they are late to the 2024 championship fight.
Therefore, for Verstappen, finishing ahead of Norris will be the biggest priority entering the race at Silverstone.
Red Bull’s troubles do not depend entirely on Lewis Hamilton
Red Bull has been under huge pressure since McLaren caught up with them. The Woking-based team has not been able to claim another win since Miami. However, both of their cars consistently finished on the podium and placed in the top 5. This cannot be said about Red Bull and they still lacked pace, even at Silverstone.
Despite being on a favorable track, the RB20 is still not the fastest car. Helmut Marko admitted this as quoted by GP Blog. “We were nine-tenths off our best time,” he said. On the final run, when several others were faster despite light rain, we didn’t make any improvement. We are in a vicious cycle.
“It’s difficult and we have to wait and see. Maybe we were too conservative in our whole setup or our whole approach.”
The incumbent champions could not comprehend the rapid decline of their car. This will eventually catch on over the long season if there is only one competitive car at the front. Furthermore, if that car doesn’t win the majority of races, the battle for the title will only get fiercer.
