P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull STILL paying for ‘biggest’ F1 mistake
Daniel Ricciardo’s departure from Red Bull has been identified as a factor contributing to the recent struggles of the team in Formula 1. Red Bull’s performance decline coincided with McLaren’s rise as championship contenders and a winless streak for Max Verstappen from Imola to Monza. The team has faced challenges with their second driver, cycling through Sergio Perez, Liam Lawson, and Yuki Tsunoda since 2024. Their performances against Verstappen have raised concerns about their F1 careers. An ex-F1 driver highlighted Ricciardo’s exit as a critical error made by Red Bull, suggesting their focus on Verstappen led to overlooking Ricciardo’s strengths. While Ricciardo may have faced difficulties with the current Verstappen, he also struggled with the new ground effect cars and adapting to a car centered around Verstappen as he did at McLaren post-Red Bull.
