What started as another strong season for Red Bull gradually turned into one of their worst runs of races in recent F1 history. When the circus moved to the European leg in 2024, the Austrian outfit spent 10 race weekends without spraying champagne on the top step of the podium—a run that only came to an end due to Max Verstappen’s brilliance in Brazil.
This win-less streak frustrated Red Bull and Verstappen, who were struggling with handling the RB20, which got worse with each passing weekend. During this time, their collective points haul also dropped massively in each Grand Prix.
F1 analyst Daniel Valente posted about the same on X (formerly Twitter) highlighting how Red Bull could not gain points on McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes since the Spanish GP, which Verstappen had won—11 races ago. The Milton Keynes-based outfit scored 29 points in Spain, 25 of which were courtesy of the reigning world champion.
Only at the Sao Paulo GP, Verstappen could emulate this dominant performance, scoring 31 out of the 32-point haul for Red Bull [Sergio Perez finished P10]. While such performances from the Dutchman became the norm over the past two seasons, this year changed that narrative.
Brazil was the first weekend Red Bull gained points on McLaren, Ferrari & Mercedes since Barcelona, 11 Grands Prix ago.
Red Bull scored 32 points with 31 coming from Max Verstappen (96.9%).
Red Bull scored 29 points with 25 coming from Max (86.2%). pic.twitter.com/C2QMZYDu1s
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) November 12, 2024
During the difficult 11-race period, drivers from rival teams—McLaren, Mercedes, and Ferrari—would consistently finish on the podium, whereas the #1 driver would find it hard to stay in the top five.
It was refreshing to not hear the Dutch anthem week in and week out, something that became common in 2022 and 2023. There have been multiple winners this year, from different nationalities, with four teams finding the right window to contribute to the wins column in 2024.
Yet, the Dutchman played the percentage game and maximized his results, even with a slower car. That is why, he has the most points and wins since the Miami GP. With a 62-point advantage over second-placed Lando Norris and just three races remaining, it seems all but certain that Verstappen will become a four-time World Champion by the end of the year.
