Red Bull unveiled a significantly transformed Formula 1 car at the beginning of the 2024 season, and the initial races suggested that Max Verstappen would secure his fourth consecutive championship title. However, everything changed from the Miami Grand Prix onwards.
McLaren made a grand entrance with a major upgrade to their MCL38, and Lando Norris emerged victorious in Miami. Although Verstappen triumphed in Imola, he encountered difficulties in Monaco. While the Dutchman managed to win in Canada and Spain, he has since been unable to reach the top step of the podium.
Even when the triple F1 Champion emerged victorious, it was not without a fight. Races like Hungary witnessed Verstappen struggling and expressing his frustration, which garnered significant criticism.
While the RB20 is by no means a slow car, it has failed to make the same impact as its dominant predecessor, the RB19. The RB19 emerged victorious in all but one of the 2023 F1 races.
Motorsport.com asked Red Bull’s technical director, Pierre Wache, if the RB20 met their expectations. Wache responded, “Not really. We have certainly made improvements compared to last year, but we did not achieve what we anticipated in certain areas.”
Wache further explained, “Especially in high-speed corners, we expected more than what we have achieved. This assessment is solely based on our own benchmarks, without considering the competitiveness of the car. In medium and low-speed corners, we have made significant improvements compared to last year. However, we were slightly weaker in high-speed corners relative to our competitors.”
When asked why the RB20 did not perform as expected, Wache suggested that certain aspects could be attributed to the correlation. He mentioned the use of an outdated wind tunnel and the limitations imposed by the ATR testing restrictions due to their position in the championship. Additionally, Wache noted that this is the third year under the current set of regulations, which may have impacted their performance.
Verstappen has emerged victorious in seven races thus far in 2024, prior to McLaren and later Mercedes catching up to Red Bull. Wache acknowledged that the Milton Keynes team anticipated their rivals to pose a challenge earlier than they did.
Before this, Red Bull dominated the 2023 F1 season and successfully fended off a brief competition from Ferrari in 2022, the first year of the current regulations.
“We had expected the opposition to arise earlier,” Wache emphasized. “When the 2022 season commenced, our car was not the fastest. Ferrari had the edge at the beginning of 2022. We had anticipated a fierce competition in 2023, but that did not materialize.
“In 2024, we also anticipated the competition to be present from the outset, as the performance of the car is limited under the same regulations.
“After the first four or five races, the others caught up, albeit with a slight delay. However, we had expected this from the beginning.
“The limitations imposed by these regulations are substantial, and finding ways to make further advancements becomes increasingly challenging. It is almost certain that the opposition will eventually catch up,” Wache concluded.
Red Bull has faced numerous challenges this year, starting with Christian Horner’s sexting scandal, followed by internal conflicts within the team involving Jos Verstappen, Dr. Helmut Marko, and Red Bull HQ in Austria.
Renowned designer Adrian Newey is departing and is no longer involved in car development. Additionally, the departure of long-serving Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley has been confirmed, with his next venture being Audi’s F1 Project, where he will assume the role of Team Principal.
Photo from Max Verstappen Instagram
