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Racing Bulls’ Spanish GP Disaster: How One Upgrade Nearly Derailed Their Season

Publisher by Publisher
February 8, 2025
in Motorsports
Reading Time: 4 mins read
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Racing Bulls’ Spanish GP Disaster: How One Upgrade Nearly Derailed Their Season

ABU DHABI, UNITED ARAB EMIRATES - DECEMBER 08: Yuki Tsunoda of Japan driving the (22) Visa Cash App RB VCARB 01 drives on track during the F1 Grand Prix of Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit on December 08, 2024 in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. (Photo by Joe Portlock/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool // SI202412080256 // Usage for editorial use only //

The 2024 Formula 1 season was a rollercoaster ride for Racing Bulls, but according to Racing Director Alan Permane, the team’s resilience in the face of adversity was nothing short of extraordinary. A season that began with promise quickly unraveled following a catastrophic development misstep at the Spanish Grand Prix—one that nearly sent the team’s campaign into a downward spiral.

Now, as the dust settles, Permane reflects on how the squad clawed back from its lowest point, proving that even in F1’s ruthless midfield, strength isn’t just about speed—it’s about survival.

From Early Promise to Crushing Setback

Permane, a veteran of 30+ years in F1, joined Racing Bulls at the start of 2024 after a long tenure with Alpine. Initially, his new team looked strong in the midfield battle, steadily adding performance and racking up points in the early races. By Round 10 in Spain, Racing Bulls sat comfortably in sixth place in the Constructors’ Championship, 19 points clear of Haas.

Then came the upgrade that broke everything.

“We had a misstep in Barcelona,” Permane admitted bluntly. “We brought a significant upgrade that we thought was going to be very strong. It turned out to be not the case.”

What should have been a game-changing performance boost turned into a nightmare. The upgrade backfired spectacularly, throwing off the car’s balance and leaving both drivers struggling for pace. In qualifying, both cars were knocked out in Q1, and in the race, they were nowhere near competitive.

Damage Control: How Racing Bulls Rebuilt Themselves

With the team’s entire development path thrown into chaos, Racing Bulls faced a make-or-break moment. But instead of sinking, they fought back—fast.

“A significant strength here is that we reacted incredibly quickly,” Permane revealed. “Barcelona was a disaster, but by the very next weekend in Austria, we had already changed a lot of parts for the Sprint. By Sunday’s main race, we’d changed even more.”

Rather than stubbornly sticking with the failed upgrade, Racing Bulls did something that few teams in F1 are willing to do: they admitted their mistake and reverted back to an older car spec.

“It wasn’t ideal, but we learned a lot,” Permane said. “That upgrade—which wasn’t really an upgrade—cost us a lot of momentum. It took us until after the summer break to recover.”

The road back wasn’t easy. The team struggled through Monza, Baku, and Singapore, but by Austin, a new floor design reignited the car’s competitiveness. Another major update in Mexico finally brought Racing Bulls back on track.

No Egos, Just Solutions: A Team That Listens

One of the biggest takeaways from Racing Bulls’ mid-season disaster? The team’s ability to stay humble, focused, and adaptable.

Permane was particularly impressed with the culture at Racing Bulls, highlighting the absence of egos that often plague top teams. “In F1, people can have fixed views on things. But there was none of that here,” he explained. “It was all about data, facts, and working together to fix it.”

The brutal honesty about their Barcelona failure became a turning point rather than a death sentence. “It was awful, but I said at the time—in the end, this will be good because we’ll learn from it. And we did.”

The Price of a Setback: Racing Bulls Lose Ground

Despite their late-season resurgence, the damage was done. Racing Bulls ultimately slipped to eighth in the Constructors’ Championship, losing out to Alpine and Haas, both of whom managed to avoid major development pitfalls.

“If we had continued our trajectory from Miami onwards, our season would have looked very different,” Permane admitted. “But in F1, every team struggles at some point. These cars are tricky to continuously develop. The important thing is that we’re back on the right trend heading into 2025.”

The lesson? In Formula 1, one bad upgrade can cost you an entire season—but Racing Bulls have proven that with speed, intelligence, and humility, even the worst setbacks can be overcome.

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