RB21 struggles at Interlagos
The RB21 seems to have returned to the form seen in qualifying in Mexico two weeks ago: ineffective and far from the top. In the Sprint Qualifying, Max Verstappen finished only sixth, describing the car as unstable, bouncing, and struggling for traction due to a clear lack of grip and downforce. But where do these difficulties come from, and will the Sprint help?
Verstappen disappointed in Brazil
There is one very disappointed driver from the Brazilian Sprint Qualifying, and that is Max Verstappen. Although the Interlagos weekend still has much to offer, particularly with rain expected on Saturday, the fact remains that the Dutch driver needs to stay consistently at the front to keep his championship hopes alive. With just four races remaining, no one can afford mistakes, especially those forced to chase in the standings. That explains the palpable frustration behind the four-time world champion’s words: “Trash. It was simply trash,” Max said at the end of qualifying.
Red Bull’s technical issues
In a weekend full of variables such as weather and track surface, it’s easy to get lost, and Red Bull found itself only sixth, more than three-tenths off the pace on one of the shortest tracks in the calendar. On the straights, the RB21 can still be competitive thanks to its aerodynamic efficiency and low downforce setup, coming within a few hundredths of Lando Norris in sectors one and two. The problem appears in the corners, where a clear lack of grip cost about four-tenths.
“The car is not behaving as we expected, especially on the soft tires. On that compound there is something that does not work,” confirmed technical director Pierre Waché, validating Verstappen’s complaints. The Dutchman noted that even on the hard tires the car felt better than on the softs, as seen in FP1, where Max was the only one to complete a true long run. All drivers struggled to extract grip from the soft tire in qualifying, but it proved even more difficult for Red Bull.
RB21 struggling with soft tires
During the crucial attempt on soft tires, the RB21 seemed like a poor copy of the car seen before Zandvoort: struggling to rotate through the middle of corners and lacking traction, unable to find enough grip to compensate. This raises an interesting question: is Red Bull a victim of its own innovations?
“I had a lot of vibrations in the car and was bouncing everywhere. Apart from that, I had no grip in slow corners. The car wasn’t turning and I didn’t even have traction, so that’s how it went. On the hard tires it was easier, but the softs were very difficult,” Verstappen said, confirming what he had already mentioned over the radio during the session, comparing the car to a pogo stick due to all the bouncing.
Data analysis confirms issues
Analysis of the data clearly shows that Max struggled in the only real high-speed corners, six and seven, where the car bounced, arriving at the braking point almost 15 km/h slower than the McLaren, which has a wider margin in ride height management. Rotation and traction issues were also evident in slower corners, like eight and ten.
The latest updates allowed Red Bull to run the car lower, generating more downforce. However, in the last two races, the limits of this philosophy have become evident. Despite the 2024 resurfacing, Interlagos remains rather bumpy, complicating the search for the ideal ride height setup. The car must be raised to reduce scrubbing, as Red Bull had to do, but at the same time kept low to generate downforce.
In Mexico, the car bottomed out in fast sections, destabilizing and losing downforce. In Brazil, it tends to hop, a movement that damages the tires further, causing them to slide and lose grip. Harder compounds provide more stability, but the softer the tire, the more the car moves and becomes difficult to handle.
Setup challenges with low downforce
To generate downforce, especially with the lower wings needed for speed on straights, the RB21 must run a very low setup. However, if it falls outside the ideal window, in either direction, the car loses downforce and becomes more nervous and difficult to drive. Yuki Tsunoda experienced similar challenges on the same setup.
Helmut Marko also confirmed the analysis, identifying the lack of downforce and grip in sector two as the main issue, relying on Sprint data to learn more about the setup. It wouldn’t be the first time Red Bull uses the Sprint as a testing ground to improve throughout the weekend based on on-track findings.
Rain and alternative lines
Verstappen does not expect major improvements, even with tomorrow’s rain: the downforce deficit observed so far is not encouraging for the Sprint. But how will the weather factor in? In Mexico, ironically, driving slower helped Red Bull mitigate some issues because the floor scrubbing was reduced, stabilizing the car. In Brazil, the problem appears slightly different, so Max may adopt alternative lines to avoid bumps, something tested during long runs in free practice, in corners one and twelve. Lower speed also means less scrubbing and more stability: could this help? It’s an opportunity to collect more data ahead of Parc Fermé reopening, with the team already hinting at possible setup changes.
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