Former F1 driver Gerhard Berger has highlighted the moment Red Bull’s strong grip at the helm of the sport began to crumble.

Red Bull entered the 2024 campaign after enjoying a highly dominant season the year before, winning 21 out of the 22 races held.

It seemed on course for a similarly untouchable run last year when Max Verstappen won seven out of the first 10 races.

However, it slipped back in the pecking order as it ran into difficulties with the RB20 in the mid-part of the season and dropped to third place in the constructors’ championship.

Verstappen managed to hold on for a fourth F1 title after his strong early-season form provided him with a buffer when the competition caught up.

The concerns followed an apparent power struggle between the Thai and Austrian owners in the early stages of the year.

Berger highlighted it was no coincidence the issues arose after the death of Red Bull owner Dietrich Mateschitz in October, 2022.

“It’s a well-known fact that you need much longer to build up than to tear down,” he told Auto Motor und Sport. 

“But nobody would have thought that everything would crumble just six months after the death of Didi Mateschitz.

“It’s often the beginning of the end when such issues are triggered. Formula 1 is so complex and so competitive that you can only be successful if everyone in the team pulls together, if everyone is in agreement and communicates well with each other.”

Berger highlights lack of clarity in Perez struggles

A key Red Bull issue that emerged last year was the performance of Sergio Perez, who was unable to string together a strong run of form.

The Mexican struggled in the run-up to the summer break but was kept on board for the second half of the season before being dropped after the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.

Berger has suggested the situation would have played out differently if Mateshcitz had overseen the situation.

“The Red Bull brand has always radiated cheerfulness and a cool image,” Berger said. 

“Suddenly everything changed. Completely atypical for the team, there are no longer any clear statements. Let’s take the example of Perez. 

“It was clear that he was no longer performing. The fact that he was nevertheless given a contract again was not understood by the experts. 

“There may have been reasons, such as marketing constraints or the contract situation. But when things didn’t get any better after that, he was given three more races and then two more and a decision was avoided. 

“I couldn’t recognise a clear line. In the Mateschitz era, Red Bull was always famous for clarity.”