Rivals dreaming of a title fight will be disappointed as Allard Kalff believes everyone is “pretending that it is all dramatic” but it really isn’t – Red Bull will win again and very soon.
Red Bull has lost two of the last three Grands Prix in Miami and Monaco and was pushed to the chequered flag in Imola. Max Verstappen admitted in Monaco that Red Bull had been “found out”. But are Red Bull’s woes being exaggerated?
With rivals like Ferrari and McLaren closing the gap, a “fundamental” issue with Red Bull’s F1 car has surfaced, particularly its struggle with kerbs and bumps. However, Verstappen noted this issue has been present since 2022. Back then, their car’s overall superiority masked this weakness. “It’s also not something new, we’ve had this problem since 2022. For the last two years, I think we had a car advantage. So then it gets masked a little bit because we gain in the corners where the curves and the bumps are not that much of a limitation. But with everyone catching up, naturally, when you’re not improving your weakest point, you get found out,” Verstappen explained.
Helmut Marko, Red Bull’s motorsport advisor, conceded that this problem might also affect their performance in Canada, predicting it could be “a difficult weekend for us”. But before anyone starts celebrating a potential end to Red Bull’s dominance, Dutch racing driver Allard Kalff thinks the drama is being blown out of proportion and predicts Verstappen will be back on top in Canada.
Kalff told Viaplay’s ‘In the Slipstream’, “I don’t think we should be dramatic either. In Shanghai and Suzuka, Max was supreme. That cannot suddenly disappear. It is also circuit-dependent and Max could have easily won in Miami if he had not knocked over that bollard. And if Max completes his lap here in qualifying, he will simply be on the front row and come second behind Leclerc. Then you talk very differently. We are now pretending that it is all dramatic, but we will first wait for Canada and Barcelona. He can win in Canada and he will win in Barcelona.”
However, Kalff’s fellow pundit Kees van der Grint believes Red Bull’s main weakness in the title fight lies with Sergio Perez. Perez has fewer podiums than Verstappen has Grand Prix wins, with four podiums to Verstappen’s five wins, and has garnered 107 points compared to his teammate’s 169. With Red Bull just 24 points ahead of Ferrari, Perez’s form could be a potential vulnerability in the Constructors’ Championship.
Perez has also failed to make it into the top ten in the last two qualifying sessions in Imola and Monte Carlo, leaving Verstappen near the front but without much-needed support. Van der Grint pointed out, “The car is less dominant, but it was last year too. Only last year the competition was not that strong.” Kalff added, “And now they actually have four competitors!” Van der Grint concluded, “The other two teams have two good drivers and Red Bull has one super driver and one who is not even participating.”
Despite recent hiccups, both Kalff and van der Grint believe Red Bull’s issues are being overstated, with Kalff firmly predicting a return to form for Verstappen in upcoming races.
Source: Planetf1
