Red Bull's 'uncomfortable situation' could cost team's title hopes as McLaren on the hunt

Former F1 race winner Johnny Herbert has warned Red Bull that McLaren are ready to pounce if they fail to sort out the ‘silliness’ between Jos Verstappen and Christian Horner. The team remain on course for another drivers’ and constructors’ title double in 2024, but have been put under pressure of late following the resurgence of their British rivals.

Following his maiden Grand Prix win in Miami, Lando Norris has finished second on the podium to championship leader Max Verstappen on four occasions.

And in Austria last weekend, their new rivalry intensified when the two were involved in an on-track collision as they battled for the lead, with Norris blaming the Dutchman for the incident after being forced to retire.

The gap between the pair is at a healthy 81 points after 11 Grand Prix races, but Red Bull’s form on the track this season has been plagued by turmoil off it. And Herbert has cited the public fallout between their lead driver’s dad and team principal Christian Horner as a possible stumbling block in their season.

“Jos is having issues within the structure, will it affect Max?” Herbert said to Coin Poker. “I think it does because he talks to his Dad a lot. It makes the situation all the more uncomfortable when it doesn’t need to be when they still have the best car, the best driver and likely to win the World Championship.

“It has started to become a bit petty because of the silliness that exists between Jos and Christian and also Christian’s comments aimed at Toto at the same time. Is it something that could disrupt the whole championship challenge now that there is a real threat in the shape of McLaren? Maybe.”

And despite his current advantage Herbert, who won three times in F1 during his own distinguished career, doesn’t believe the title race is a foregone conclusion. He also argued that the current coherence at McLaren could give Zak Brown’s team the upper hand during the run-in.

‌“McLaren are probably in a better place because there is harmony which everyone can see, and they are getting stronger,” he added. “They have seen what happened between Lando and Max (in Austria)and that will make them stronger.

“McLaren are throwing a lot of pressure towards Red Bull. Max has got the advantage but it is definitely not a given that it is going to be an easy road for them. It can take just one race to change the whole thing.”

Herbert did acknowledge that Norris now needed more race wins in order to give himself a chance. And British fans would love to see him claw back the deficit this week at the British Grand Prix at Silverstone.

It was Verstappen who dominated at the venue in 2023 though, fastest in practice before also taking pole position in qualifying. He duly converted that into a race win, with Norris finishing second.