Max Verstappen thumbs up

Formula 1 2024 could see a title fight unfold as Max Verstappen will not win even half of this remaining 16 Grands Prix, says Robert Doornbos.

Although Max Verstappen won five of the opening eight races, Red Bull have already been beaten to the top step in the first third of this season than they were all of last year.

Max Verstappen has already lost three races this season

In 2023, they won 21 of 22 races as they cruised to the championship double with Verstappen’s 575 points being enough to win the Constructors’ title alone.

It had rivals fearing another season of misery this year.

Instead, Red Bull have found themselves with a fight on their hands with Ferrari winning two races to sit 24 points behind in the teams’ standings while Charles Leclerc is 31 points down in the Drivers’ standings. McLaren have also won a Grand Prix.

The team’s latest defeat at the hands of Leclerc in Monaco had Verstappen declaring they’ve been “found out” with a weakness that’s been around since 2022 now evident given Red Bull no longer have a huge pace advantage over the chasing pack.

It has former F1 driver Doornbos predicting he won’t even win half of the remaining 16 races.

“You said that Max was going to win 22 races this year,” Doornbos reminded his fellow Ziggo Sport pundit Rob Kamphues. “So that’s not going to happen.

“He will win another six or seven.”

Red Bull and Ferrari weigh in on potential title fight

Although it’s clear Red Bull won’t have it all their own way this season, the team having already lost more races they did last season, Christian Horner is not hitting the panic button.

“Ferrari, McLaren, they’re quick,” he told the media including PlanetF1.com. “It was always going to happen that there was going to be convergence.

“I think McLaren made a big step, Ferrari’s step was very subtle. So let’s see over the next two or three races.

“We’re now getting into the meat of the championship so let’s see. Montreal, Barcelona, Austria, Silverstone, let’s see over the next few circuits how things pan out.

“It’s a marathon, not a sprint.”

A marathon that Fred Vasseur believes could yet go either way.

“First, I never said that Red Bull was champion after six races,” said the Ferrari team boss in the wake of Charles Leclerc’s Monaco win. “And I won’t say today that it won’t be the case. We have still 16 races to go.

“Probably you can still score 500 points until the end. It means that nothing is done in one direction or the other.

“But I’m sure that Red Bull and Max never considered that they were already champions.

“It’s part of the game that you need always to do more, to push more. I’m convinced that Red Bull are not in the control zone.”

He added: “For sure, depending from track to track, we’ll have perhaps Red Bull with an advantage, or Ferrari, or McLaren and we’ll have to be opportunistic. But the fight will be tight.”