Red Bull, aiming for a comeback in Texas
After the big confidence boost from the almost unexpected second place in the Singapore GP, Red Bull arrives in Texas, for the nineteenth round of the season, with the goal of getting ahead of McLaren again, or at least minimizing the damage.
It’s certainly not an easy task, considering the huge gap Lando Norris gave Max Verstappen in a race where the British driver was the absolute, undisputed dominator.
However, Christian Horner, after thoroughly analyzing the data and correlation issues that have plagued the development of the RB20 in recent months, is hopeful about the new update package, which will be introduced during the Austin weekend.
“I believe that all teams are at a natural point in the season where everyone will bring something to Austin,” commented the team principal, guest of the F1 Nation podcast. “Ferrari has something important, and I think Mercedes and McLaren will all bring something.”
Towards Austin
“What we want to do is build on the understanding we began to gain from Monza and bring a well-balanced car on both axles to Austin, one that inspires confidence in the driver,” added Horner, introducing the Texas race.
“The challenge is very different (in Austin). The first sector is high-speed, they’ve also resurfaced part of the track, so there’s another variable added.”
“It’s a sprint weekend, so we need to start strong right away. We have to consider all these factors, but the whole team has worked very hard to understand the issues, address them, and hopefully remedy things for Austin.”
“We encountered some aerodynamic issues that, when you dig deep, trace back to 2023. And I believe that Max, thanks to his extraordinary ability to work around problems, has been able to deal with them, while Checo has been affected much more.”
“Max has the skill to manage a car that has these difficulties. We saw the extent of it in the period before Monza, but when we took downforce off in Monza, the gap between the front and rear axles became apparent, and the numbers we expected on the track were far from those in our simulation tools.”
“How big is the gap to recover? Based on Lando’s first performance in Singapore, about 23 seconds. However, we’ve started to understand things and find solutions. I think Max delivered a phenomenal result in Singapore, especially considering that last year the circuit was certainly not our favorite.” – he explained – “So yes, we have a lot to do. Like in all these things, I believe it depends on how the car interacts mechanically. And then, of course, the tires, which are particularly sensitive this year, and the ability to stay in that magic window with these Pirellis. It’s about all these elements, but we’re determined to go there and start off on the right foot.” – the Red Bull team principal concluded.
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