Red Bull unveiled a significantly evolved Formula 1 car at the beginning of the 2024 F1 season, and the initial races suggested that Max Verstappen would be on track to secure his fourth consecutive championship title. However, things took a turn after the Miami Grand Prix.
McLaren made a grand entrance with a major upgrade to their MCL38, and Lando Norris emerged victorious in Miami. Verstappen managed to secure a win in Imola, but faced difficulties in Monaco. Although the Dutch driver triumphed in Canada and Spain, he has since struggled to reach the top spot on the podium.
Even during his victories, the triple F1 Champion had to put in a tremendous amount of effort. Races like Hungary exposed his struggles and led to him expressing his frustration, which attracted significant criticism.
Although the RB20 is not a slow car by any means, it has failed to replicate the success of its dominant predecessor, the RB19. The RB19 claimed victory in all but one of the 2023 F1 races.
Motorsport.com asked Red Bull’s tech boss, Pierre Wache, whether the RB20 lived up to their expectations. Wache responded, “I would say not really. We did make improvements compared to last year, but we didn’t achieve what we had anticipated in certain areas.”
He continued, “Particularly in high-speed corners, we expected more than what we have. This assessment is solely based on our own benchmarks, without considering the competitiveness of the car. In medium-speed and low-speed corners, we have made significant improvements compared to last year. However, we were slightly weaker in high-speed corners compared to our competition. Our weakness in riding the kerbs has persisted, as it did last year. We haven’t made the improvements we had hoped for in that aspect.”
When asked why the RB20 underperformed, Wache suggested that some aspects could be attributed to the correlation. He explained, “We are using an older wind tunnel, and this could be a contributing factor. Additionally, our testing capacity has been reduced due to our position in the championship and the testing restrictions. Furthermore, this is the third year under the current set of regulations, which may also have played a role.”
Verstappen has emerged victorious in seven races thus far in 2024, before McLaren and later Mercedes caught up with Red Bull. Wache acknowledged that the Milton Keynes squad anticipated their rivals to pose a challenge much earlier.
Prior to this, Red Bull dominated the 2023 F1 season, successfully fending off a brief threat from Ferrari in the inaugural year of the current regulations in 2022.
“We had expected the opposition to arise sooner, to be completely honest,” Wache emphasized. “When the 2022 season commenced, we did not possess the fastest car. Ferrari held that distinction at the beginning of 2022. We were prepared for intense competition in 2023, but it failed to materialize.
“In 2024, we also anticipated the competition to be present right from the start, as the performance achievable with the car is limited under the same regulations.
“After the initial four or five races, the others caught up, albeit with a slight delay. However, we had anticipated this from the outset.
“The restrictions imposed by these regulations are quite stringent, and discovering further advancements becomes increasingly challenging. Consequently, it is almost certain that the opposition will eventually return,” Wache concluded.
Red Bull has encountered difficulties this year, commencing with Christian Horner’s scandal involving explicit messages. This was followed by internal conflicts within the team, involving Jos Verstappen and Dr. Helmut Marko, not to mention the involvement of high-ranking officials from Red Bull HQ in Austria.
Design expert Adrian Newey is departing and is no longer involved in car development, while the departure of long-serving Sporting Director Jonathan Wheatley has recently been confirmed. Wheatley’s next venture will be as Team Principal for Audi’s F1 Project.
Photo from Max Verstappen Instagram
