At Red Bull, the first day of free practice in Abu Dhabi mirrored the trend seen throughout the season: a Friday spent chasing rivals, hoping to find the narrow operating window where the RB20 becomes competitive.
The problems are familiar, particularly in terms of balance, with drivers complaining from the first session about difficulties in getting the car’s front end to work properly. This is largely tied to the challenge of bringing the tires to the correct temperature, with the front end failing to provide adequate grip and causing annoying understeer, especially in slower corners. Telemetry data highlights this issue in the slower parts of the third sector, where consistent time losses to rivals are evident.
Helmut Marko provided an overview of the RB20’s issues during the first day of practice, noting that the problems in Abu Dhabi differ from those in Qatar due to the contrasting tracks and tires used. However, the goal remains to adjust the setup as they did in Lusail, though Qatar’s layout better suited the RB20’s characteristics. “We know the issues; they’re not the same as in Qatar, but if we can fix them like we did there, that would be great,” Marko explained after the second session at Yas Marina.
The recurring issues include challenges in optimizing tire performance and finding the right balance, which have been consistent complaints throughout the season. “We’re dealing with the usual problems. The balance isn’t right, and the tire operating window is very narrow. We’re struggling to get the tires up to temperature, both front and rear.”
During the session, Verstappen also raised concerns about engine drivability. However, Marko clarified that this issue is easily resolved by adjusting the mapping, as has been done several times this season. It’s more about fine-tuning details in this area.
Telemetry comparisons reveal a typical tendency for Red Bull to use more conservative engine mappings on Fridays. This is noticeable not so much in top speed—where the Red Bull DRS remains effective, and other teams sometimes derate their engines at the end of straights—but more in acceleration with the DRS closed. Additionally, the RB20 seems to struggle with traction, as drivers find it challenging to get on the throttle early in some sections, likely a consequence of understeer.
Another concern is the lack of speed in faster sections, such as Turn 3 or the high-speed penultimate corner, where the RB20 appears significantly behind the McLaren cars.
Throughout the day, Red Bull tested various aerodynamic configurations. Max Verstappen ran a lower-downforce setup, while Sergio Perez opted for a higher-downforce one, but according to the team’s data, the results were roughly the same. “We used two different aerodynamic setups on the cars, but the results were similar,” Marko stated.
As usual, Red Bull felt closer to their rivals in race simulations than in qualifying simulations, but Marko admitted the pace still wasn’t as competitive as that of their opponents. McLaren, in particular, seemed far ahead, while Red Bull appeared closer to Ferrari, which struggled with specific issues during their long runs, including signs of graining.
“Our long-run data is better but still not competitive enough. If we can fix the car and hit the operating window, we’ll look to what happened in Qatar. And I think the problems there were harder to solve than those we’re encountering here,” Marko added. As often happens at Red Bull, post-FP2 work will be crucial, as pre-weekend setups have sometimes proven less competitive than expected once on track, leaving much of the adjustment work to data gathered during the sessions.
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