Source – The Mirror
The defending world champion Max Verstappen has discussed the difficulties posed by Red Bull’s RB20 package thus far this season, and he expressed optimism that the team’s toughest issues are now behind them.
Max Verstappen’s 2024 campaign began in typical dominant fashion, with seven victories from the first 10 races. He appeared well on course for a fourth consecutive world championship, while Red Bull looked poised to secure another constructors’ title. But as Formula 1 has proven time and time again, even the best-laid plans can go awry in the blink of an eye. A combination of factors, including Red Bull’s missteps in car development and the rapid rise of rival teams, has significantly altered the narrative as the season heads into its final flyaway races.
Verstappen’s once-commanding lead in the drivers’ standings has been reduced to 52 points over McLaren’s Lando Norris, a margin that now feels precarious compared to his early-season dominance. Meanwhile, Red Bull’s grip on the constructors’ championship has loosened, with McLaren seizing the lead after a stunning performance at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, leaving Red Bull 41 points adrift and in unfamiliar territory.
Reflecting on the season’s dramatic shift, Verstappen candidly shared his thoughts on Red Bull’s struggles, acknowledging the team’s mistakes and the subsequent impact. “In the beginning, I was surprised as well,” Verstappen admitted in an interview with Autosport. “But if you look at what our problems were, then I fully understand it. At some point, we have gone in the wrong direction.”
Verstappen pointed out that the trajectory of the car’s development played a crucial role in Red Bull’s slump, contrasting it with the progress made by other teams, particularly McLaren. “The other teams have either not faced that particular point yet, or they developed the car in a slightly different way. That is always difficult to assess,” he said. The Dutchman elaborated on how the car’s handling, particularly its balance, deteriorated as the season wore on, noting that while the RB19 was still quicker than its competitors early on, the gap began to close as rivals made significant strides.
“Early on I realised that the feeling was very different from last year’s car in terms of balance,” Verstappen explained. “At that time, our car was still a lot quicker than the others, or maybe I should say that the others were not so good back then, so at that stage we could still compensate for our difficulties.”
However, as the season progressed, the issues became harder to ignore. “In the races after that, it got worse and worse. At one point, our car was just very difficult to drive, and at the same time, the others made real progress,” he added.
Verstappen shed light on the challenges of bringing updates to the car in Formula 1’s new ground-effect era, where downforce generated by the floor plays a critical role. According to Verstappen, these updates have proven to be “a lot more sensitive,” making it increasingly difficult for teams to ensure that simulations align with real-world performance. He noted that even teams equipped with modern wind tunnels are grappling with similar issues, dismissing the notion that Red Bull’s older wind tunnel was solely to blame for their mid-season struggles.
“It’s true that we have a fairly old wind tunnel, but until this year, it did everything right,” Verstappen remarked. “Some things are just hard to understand. You see that with all the other teams as well, except McLaren. All teams have had their own problems, including teams with modern wind tunnels.”
Verstappen suggested that the difficulty lies in correlating data from the wind tunnel with on-track performance, a challenge faced by even the best teams. “It is just extremely difficult to fine-tune things perfectly or to get exactly the right data out of it. That can be down to a lot of things in the wind tunnel itself or how it correlates with the track,” he explained.
Despite the setbacks, Verstappen remains optimistic that Red Bull has turned a corner, pointing to recent updates introduced at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, where he finished second behind Norris at the subsequent round in Singapore. The floor upgrade seemed to provide a much-needed boost to Red Bull’s performance, giving the team hope that they are on the path to recovery.
“Yes, it felt better,” Verstappen confirmed. “That was already a good step for us. I do think we are moving in the right direction now. It will take some time. You can’t turn something like this around in one or two weeks. But I do think the team was happy with what they saw in Baku as well.”
As the season nears its conclusion, Verstappen is hopeful that the worst of Red Bull’s 2024 campaign is behind them, even after the low point at Monza, where the team’s struggles were laid bare. “Yes, I do think so to be honest,” he said. “Hopefully, we can continue to make good steps from here.”
While the challenges have mounted for Verstappen and Red Bull, the Dutchman’s resilience and the team’s ability to adapt remain key. As they fight to claw their way back into contention, the question now is whether these improvements will be enough to reclaim the momentum that once seemed so certain.
