Red Bull arrived in Monaco in the middle of last week already aware they would have to race on the defensive, mindful of the difficulties encountered in previous years on a circuit unlike any other.
Over the course of the weekend, the performance of the RB21s went against the trend seen in recent outings. They started off well, but the Milton Keynes cars were eventually outclassed by both McLaren and Ferrari, to the point that Max Verstappen finished fifth in qualifying, more than seven tenths off pole position.
The penalty given to Lewis Hamilton after qualifying only softened the blow of such a striking gap from the four-time world champion. It was another demonstration of how Red Bull continues to struggle on tracks where attacking the curbs is essential to extract the lap time needed to stay at the front.
According to Christian Horner, some problems have been “fixed,” but the situation remains the same as in past seasons. From the words of the Milton Keynes team principal, however, the team will continue to stick to its philosophy, avoiding making changes just to gain better performance on a track as unique as Monaco.
“I don’t think we’ve fixed it, but I believe we’ve improved it. It wasn’t bouncing at all like it was last year. And of course, just seven days ago, we were at Imola, on a high-speed or faster-speed circuit. And the car performed very well.”
“You can never design a car specifically for just one circuit. And I think what we’re trying to do is improve the car everywhere. But it’s always a compromise between aerodynamics, mechanical grip, and a combination of those factors. McLaren did a great job in that respect. Congratulations to Lando and McLaren for their win. But for sure, starting next weekend, another element will be introduced.”
Having left the Principality behind, Red Bull believes it can be competitive again at Montmeló, a track made up of fast corners where aerodynamic load plays a crucial role in achieving the desired performance. However, it’s already been known for months that the FIA will introduce new measures to control front wing flex at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
This means all teams will have to bring new wings to comply with the parameters required by the updated checks. Horner believes Red Bull will be back at the top immediately, but there’s still a question mark over how the competitive order might shift with the introduction of the new wings.
“Now we’re heading back to high-speed circuits. And of course, the front wing is essentially a regulatory change. It might have no impact on the running order, but it’s a change that will affect all teams — possibly in a neutral way, but there will be an impact.”
“Maybe so, but we don’t know how it will affect others… It’s a significant change. So obviously, there will be some effect. Obviously the teams have anticipated it. So it might be neutral, or maybe it will have some impact on degradation, but it certainly won’t make life easier.”
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