Ralf Schumacher highlights alarming Max Verstappen development in Red Bull decline

Ralf Schumacher has highlighted the severity of the current crisis at Red Bull, noting that he cannot recall seeing Max Verstappen "so far back", following his dismal Hungarian Grand Prix.

The Dutchman qualified eighth at the Hungaroring, but despite early promise in the race, was unable to make progress in his RB21. He finished one place lower than he started, in ninth.

It caps off an underwhelming first part of the season for Red Bull and its star driver, who sits a distant third in the F1 drivers' standings.

With only 10 rounds to run, Verstappen is 97 points behind leader Oscar Piastri and looks all but guaranteed to surrender his crown at the end of the season, ending his streak of consecutive titles at four.

Red Bull, as was the case for much of 2024, has also flattered to deceive. The Milton Keynes squad finished third in the constructors' standings last term but has slumped to fourth in the current campaign.

The drivers in its second seat have struggled throughout. Liam Lawson was jettisoned from the car after two pointless rounds and was sent back to Racing Bulls, with Yuki Tsunoda heading in the opposite direction.

However, the Japanese driver has also fallen short. He has scored just seven points since being parachuted in - and is scoreless over the last seven rounds.

The six-time constructors' champions fired long-standing team principal Christian Horner in July, with Laurent Mekies coming in from Racing Bulls as his replacement, but it will take the Frenchman some time to steady the ship.

When discussing the first part of the season on Sky Sports Germany's F1 podcast, Backstage Boxengasse, Schumacher shone a spotlight on Red Bull's damning situation.

"The biggest disappointment of the season, and I mean it from a team perspective.... People aren't going to like me saying this, but that really is Red Bull Racing," the six-time grand prix winner said.

"Sure, they started the season okay, but in the meantime, they have really fallen way back. The obvious low point in that was, of course, the Hungary Grand Prix,"

"I can't even remember when Max Verstappen was so far back, outside of his time at Toro Rosso."

On the other end of the spectrum

On the other end of the scale, the former Jordan, Williams, and Toyota driver picked out Stake as the biggest "positive surprise" from the opening 14 rounds of the campaign.

"I think Stake F1 is an absolute positive surprise," the 50-year-old stated. "Before the season we all thought that would be nothing, that they would finish tenth.

"And now both Nico Hulkenberg, who took his first podium at Silverstone, and Gabriel Bortoleto are performing excellently.

"The Brazilian rookie makes very few mistakes and radiates calmness," he added before addressing the dominant McLaren team: "Of course, McLaren was no surprise, but they have proven in the past to trip over themselves from time to time."