F1 Q&A: Can Red Bull recover from loss in form?

Charles Leclerc pulled disconnected an bonzer location triumph for Ferrari astatine nan Italian Grand Prix connected Sunday, up of some nan McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris.

BBC F1 analogous Andrew Benson answers your questions pursuing nan title astatine Monza.

Why are McLaren choosing not to make Lando Norris their number 1 driver? - Michael

Reading betwixt nan lines of nan comments made by squad main Andrea Stella aft nan Italian Grand Prix, it seems arsenic if that whitethorn beryllium precisely what they are astir to do.

Stella chose his words cautiously but nan connection was that McLaren now realise they person a chance of winning nan drivers' title arsenic good arsenic nan constructors' and they should effort to do everything they tin to return advantage of that.

"Even from a drivers' points of view, pinch nan capacity we person astatine nan infinitesimal successful nan car and immoderate of nan struggle we spot pinch Red Bull, it is decidedly possible," Stella said.

"If we tin execute both, we request to put nan squad and Lando successful position to prosecute some championships."

Stella and McLaren's default is to title adjacent for some drivers - nan instauration of nan alleged "papaya rules" Norris' technologist Will Joseph referred to complete nan power successful Monza, nan specifications of which Stella does not want to divulge because he considers them portion of McLaren's "intellectual property", arsenic he puts it.

Stella is large connected squad harmony, connected everyone buying into nan wide accuracy of nan measurement McLaren spell racing, and building a calm, respectful, collegiate environment. So he is not keen connected squad orders, having knowledgeable them during his years astatine Ferrari, erstwhile he was technologist for Michael Schumacher, Kimi Raikkonen and Fernando Alonso.

And nan thought of a number 1 and number 2 driver besides makes him uncomfortable. As he put it aft nan title connected Sunday: "Number 1 useful good arsenic a headline. But I americium not judge it useful very good successful reality.

"Let's opportunity we reason [that] successful area 4 [on nan first lap], Lando conscionable braked excessively early and Oscar benignant of people had a anticipation to return nan lead. Then what does it mean if you are number one? You benignant of switch nan thigh after?

"It is very difficult to instrumentality this business successful nan existent world. We request to support moving arsenic a squad and past activity together to effort and prosecute this nonsubjective successful some championships, because it now looks arsenic if nan drivers' title is decidedly a possibility."

Stella admits McLaren had been "a small cautious [about nan title hopes] moreover earlier Monza", mostly because of nan perceived spot of Red Bull, nan size of Max Verstappen's advantage successful nan title and doubts astir whether McLaren could beryllium competitory astatine each race.

But he added: "Now we spot McLaren tin compete successful circuits wherever past twelvemonth we were not competitive. So it is simply a very competitory package wide and this could beryllium a very important limb for Lando, successful peculiar successful nan quest for nan championship."

And location was a further hint that squad orders successful Norris' title favour are connected nan measurement erstwhile he described nan thought of Piastri backing Norris arsenic "an investment" for nan Australian because he is successful only his 2nd afloat play - "the early is Oscar's” and it would beryllium "a monolithic boost for nan team".

Does Red Bull's downturn successful shape coincide pinch nan departure of their main method serviceman Adrian Newey? - Steve

Yes, it does. But that's not nan mobility - nan mobility is, has it been caused by it? Correlation and causation are not needfully nan aforesaid thing.

The statistic make for absorbing reading.

Newey is still employed by Red Bull. But his past title moving successful immoderate capacity connected F1 was Miami, backmost successful early May.

Verstappen's mean finishing position for nan races up to and including Miami, not including retirements, was 1.2. Since then, it is 3.3. In qualifying, he was averaging first up to Miami and 3.1 since.

As for team-mate Sergio Perez, title results up to Miami were an mean of third, since past it is 8.5. In qualifying, it was 2.9, since past 11th.

Those numbers are stark.

But is this caused by Newey's departure? Verstappen was asked whether Newey's domiciled changing had had an power connected results connected Thursday successful Monza.

He said: "Normally not. Since it was announced, it has been much difficult but it shouldn't matter if personification is leaving connected nan spot that instantly nan capacity drops, because nan car has ever been nan same."

After nan title Verstappen was asked nan aforesaid question, and his reply was somewhat different successful tone.

"I've ever said I would person liked Adrian to stay," Verstappen said. "Always. But it's not astir that now. Last twelvemonth we had a awesome car, that was nan astir ascendant car ever, and we fundamentally turned it into a monster, truthful we person to move it around."

Team main Christian Horner was besides asked whether losing Newey had had immoderate effect connected nan truth Red Bull had mislaid their measurement pinch nan car.

He said: "I deliberation we would person had each these issues because they were already there, and 1 man's input could ne'er beryllium truthful melodramatic truthful quickly. This started to really item itself successful Miami, and Adrian was plugged successful up until Friday of Miami."

The point, though, is that Newey has not been plugged successful since. It was put to Horner that possibly Newey mightiness person been capable to spot a measurement retired of Red Bull's problems sooner.

Horner said: "Well, he'd beryllium moving pinch each nan aforesaid people. F1 is simply a squad sport, it's a squad rumor and nan squad will travel up pinch a resolution."

There can, of course, beryllium nary definitive answer.

But Red Bull person mislaid nan skills of nan top designer successful F1 history, a unsocial penetration into nan effect of aerodynamics connected an F1 car. A man who besides has renowned talent arsenic a title engineer, and a refined knowing of precisely what a racing driver needs from a car to beryllium fast.

It's difficult to ideate that has had nary effect astatine all.

Looking into your crystal shot regarding nan remainder of nan season, tin Red Bull propulsion it backmost aliases not? - Richard

I don't person a crystal ball. But connected paper, you would person to opportunity that Max Verstappen is still a beardown favourite for nan drivers' title.

The Red Bull driver still has a very ample points lead, location are not that galore races to go, he is incredibly accordant and beardown and Lando Norris has to person an almost cleanable extremity to nan play to drawback him.

Having said that, Red Bull are efficaciously admitting to being mislaid pinch their car, which Verstappen described arsenic a "monster" connected Sunday.

They are a very beardown squad - little truthful without Adrian Newey, admittedly - but clip is not connected their side, fixed nan lead times progressive successful creation and manufacturing, and nan truth that, correct now, Red Bull don't cognize what nan hole to their issues is.

If McLaren tin support performing astatine nan existent level, and if they propulsion everything down Norris, and if Red Bull can't retrieve - and if different drivers and teams tin deprive Verstappen of points arsenic good - past Norris has a chance. But that's a batch of 'ifs' and nan likelihood are not successful Norris' favour.

The constructors' title is simply a different matter. McLaren are still behind, but now only by 8 points. They are favourites for that. And what a communicative that would beryllium if they triumph it, 26 years since they past did so.

Is location a quality betwixt tow and slipstream? Should tows beryllium banned during qualifying sessions, arsenic an unfair advantage could beryllium gained? - Alan

No, they are simply different words for nan aforesaid thing. Slipstreaming is portion of centrifugal racing. Quite isolated from that, a prohibition would beryllium intolerable to police.

What is nan constituent of Formula 2 if drivers who don't triumph it get promoted owed to connections pinch Formula 1 teams? - Ryan

Formula 2 is nan last measurement successful nan graduation strategy done motorsport connected nan measurement to F1. But it is nary guarantee of a spot successful F1, and why should it be?

The drivers successful F1 are expected to beryllium nan 20 champion successful nan world. And, pinch a mini number of exceptions, that's what they are.

In immoderate fixed year, nan F2 section mightiness not beryllium that strong. Or moreover if it is, nan driver who wins it mightiness not beryllium arsenic bully arsenic astir of nan drivers already successful F1.

There are plentifulness of examples of drivers who person had awesome careers successful F2 aliases Formula 3, moreover winning championships, getting to F1 and simply not being bully capable astatine nan very highest level.

F1 teams put a batch of activity into their driver academies. A spot connected them has to beryllium earned.

And erstwhile it comes to astir F1 teams, they want nan fastest imaginable drivers successful their cars. Just because personification is successful their academy, that is nary guarantee of a spot successful F1. Again, nan squad has to beryllium convinced they are nan correct choice.

So, successful nan cases of Andrea Kimi Antonelli and Oliver Bearman being promoted to F1 adjacent play contempt not winning nan F2 title, Mercedes and Ferrari are convinced they person what it takes. That's a determination they person formed complete galore years of acquisition of those drivers.

But erstwhile they get to F1, that's conscionable nan beginning. They person to beryllium themselves each complete again. Motor racing is simply a reliable business, and F1 nan pinnacle. And standards are very high.

With 2 races successful nan USA to come, person Williams made a immense correction successful dropping Logan Sargeant for nan remainder of nan season? - Pete

Sargeant had plentifulness of chances earlier he was dropped aft nan Dutch Grand Prix.

He had been comprehensively outperformed by team-mate Alex Albon complete much than a play and a half, was not making evident progress, and his needless clang successful believe successful Zandvoort was nan last straw for Williams squad leader James Vowles.

The car had Williams' caller upgrade package connected it, and Sargeant collapsed - not because he was pushing to nan limit done a area - but because he made a misjudgement and drove connected to nan bedewed grass. In doing so, he destroyed that group of upgrades and costs nan squad an atrocious batch of money.

It was not nan first clip Sargeant had collapsed successful that measurement this twelvemonth - he besides did truthful successful Japan, erstwhile Williams were correct up against it successful position of parts aft a difficult commencement to nan season.

The Americans for illustration winners. Sargeant was astatine nan backmost of nan grid. It's difficult to ideate his absence successful Austin and Las Vegas will person immoderate important effect astatine all.