Max Verstappen heads to the Italian Grand Prix with his unbeatable aura fading and a fourth straight world championship looking far less certain than before Formula One’s summer break.
Dutchman Verstappen hasn’t won since claiming the honours at the Spanish GP back in June, a five-race drought which has put the brakes on his title charge and Red Bull’s dominance of F1.
Failing to win at his home GP for the first time in four years last weekend was further sign of the 26-year-old’s slipping grip on the driver’s crown.
And the manner in which he finished behind Lando Norris highlighted the problems with his car which led to an expletive-filled during qualifying.
Verstappen finished nearly 23 seconds behind Norris as McLaren showed that they had the best set-up on the grid and forced a previously unstoppable driver to accept a humbling defeat after being overtaken on lap 18.
“There was nothing that I could do, so once he passed, I just focused on doing my race, tried to bring it to the end in second,” said Verstappen after the race.
“The last few races already haven’t really been fantastic. So that, I think in a sense, was already a bit alarming. But we know that we don’t need to panic.”
McLaren’s improved car has every chance at Monza too, where Verstappen has bullied the opposition and in particular home team Ferrari the past two years.
However Verstappen still has a 70-point lead in the driver’s championship and his closest challenger Norris called the idea of pipping him to the world title “stupid” as the reigning champion has finished on the podium in 10 of this season’s 15 races, winning seven.
And even though he is no longer blowing away the opposition Verstappen at least didn’t blow his top during the race at Zandvoort, instead using his considerable talent at the wheel to ensure second place.
“You’ve got to drive with the championship in mind,” said team principle Christian Horner.
“There have been seven different race winners this year. So, if you can’t win, then you’ve got to be scoring the points.”
Horner was also referring to the constructors’ championship which is even tighter due to the continued struggles of Verstappen’s teammate Sergio Perez, who is 156 points back in seventh and whose position at Red Bull is subject to constant speculation.
McLaren are just 30 points behind Red Bull while Ferrari, 64 points back in third, will be hoping to put recent Monza disappointments behind them as the Scuderia have an outside chance of their first constructor’s title since 2008.
Ferrari have had a driver on pole position at each of the last two Monza GPs only to lose out both times to Verstappen on home soil.
Charles Leclerc, whose second place behind Verstappen two years ago was particularly bitter as the Dutchman started the race seventh on the grid, won a brilliant battle with Norris’ teammate Oscar Piastri for third at Zandvoort.
That finish, and Carlos Sainz battling back to fifth, gave some heart to downbeat Ferrari ahead of their home GP, where they will have similarly fanatical support to what Verstappen received in the Netherlands.
Former Ferrari man Fernando Alonso went as far as to say that the iconic Italian outfit will be the favourite at Monza and the following Azerbaijan GP.
“Ferrari will be the car to beat… I’d like to be in their condition,” said Aston Martin driver Alonso to AS.
“I think that Mercedes will be a bit more up and down but McLaren, Red Bull and Ferrari will be fighting for the podium.”
Franco Colapinto will become the first Argentine F1 driver since Gaston Mazzacane 23 years ago after replacing Logan Sargeant on Tuesday.
A Monza debut is fitting for the 23-year-old, who is of Italian heritage and will be aiming to increase Williams’ paltry constructors points tally of four.