A Formula 1 legend has issued a stern warning to Christian Horner as Red Bull face the possibility of losing both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships to McLaren following recent struggles. Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, dominated the 2023 season but has faced a much tougher challenge this year.

The Dutch driver had a strong start to the season, winning five of the first seven races. However, in the last nine races, Verstappen has only secured two victories, at the Canadian Grand Prix and the Spanish GP. This marks the longest winless streak for Verstappen since the 2020 season, leaving Red Bull just eight points ahead of McLaren in the constructors’ standings.

Since the announcement of Adrian Newey’s impending departure from Red Bull, the team’s performance has notably declined, going seven races without a win. Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan criticized Horner’s handling of the situation on the Formula For Success podcast, saying, “Show me the upgrades because, sure as heaven, those upgrades have not worked. You are fooling yourself. You are trying to believe in a wind tunnel that is giving you miscalculations. It’s now catastrophic.”

Jordan emphasized that Horner has a “massive job” ahead of him to resolve the team’s issues, suggesting drastic action is needed to regain their form. He also pointed out that Verstappen’s recent performances reveal the true pace of the car. “We were all criticizing Perez, but maybe that’s the speed of the car. What Max is doing is what he’s capable of. To finish fifth, fourth, and sixth… it must be killing him.”

Verstappen himself recently expressed frustration, calling the car a “monster” after finishing outside the top five at Monza. If Red Bull hopes to defend their titles, they will need to swiftly address their wind tunnel problems and rectify the situation before it’s too late