Will the RB21 be a better car than the RB20? For Pierre Wachè, the data collected during the pre-season tests at the Sakhir circuit leave no doubt. With the new car, Red Bull has gained about three to four tenths: “Last year, we made a patch, I’d say,” the 50-year-old explained to PlanetF1. “A patch to reduce some potential, make it a bit more stable, but it was a small patch. Now, we’ve completed the full concept of the car in this direction.”
A New Alarm Bell
However, the tests were not entirely smooth for the Austrian team, which faced reliability issues with both Liam Lawson and Max Verstappen. This is no small problem and could highlight a situation that’s quite difficult to resolve in a short time. Additionally, the RB21 hasn’t seemed like an easy car to drive, with Verstappen needing to try several adjustments before he felt comfortable in the car. These difficulties suggest a misalignment between the data from the wind tunnel and the observations made on track.
Red Bull owns one of the oldest wind tunnels and is working on opening a more advanced one, which should resolve issues related to the inaccuracy of the data collected. However, unlike Ferrari and McLaren, who already have innovative wind tunnels to create their 2025 cars (before moving on to 2026 developments), Red Bull will have to wait a bit longer before being able to use the new wind tunnel.
When asked if the issues encountered during the tests will be solved quickly, Pierre Wachè continued: “I’m not sure. But at some point, you have to use the tools you have and gather all the information you can to make a decision. It’s part of the engineering work we’re doing. The safety is there, I don’t think it’s 100%, but it’s not a barrier. You have to use what you know, what you can control, ensure that the extrapolation works as much as possible, and improve how you use your tools,” he concluded.
In less than one week, we will see the first free practice of the season, held in Melbourne at the 5.278-kilometre Albert Park Grand Prix Circuit: what kind of weekend will it be for Red Bull?
Leave a Reply