Christian Horner, team principal of Red Bull Racing, has addressed concerns over the team’s recent struggles in the Formula 1 championship, particularly regarding the pace of their RB20 car.
Despite a dominant start to the season, Red Bull and Max Verstappen have recently lost ground in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships.
After the first free practice session, Horner was questioned whether the RB20 is now slower compared to six months ago, when Red Bull seemed unbeatable. The team boss, however, dismissed this idea, attributing their current difficulties to other factors.
Challenging Season for Red Bull
Red Bull Racing and Verstappen have experienced a surprising drop in form as the season has progressed.
Once leading the championship by a comfortable margin, the team now faces increased competition, and their dominance has been challenged by rivals who have made significant gains.
Verstappen, who won several races with apparent ease at the start of the season, has seen his performance dip, with the car no longer as competitive.
However, Horner is quick to dispel any suggestion that the RB20 has fundamentally slowed down.
“No, no, no. I think that there’s several aspects,” Horner said when asked whether the car is slower. He explained that while there have been upgrades to the car, these have not resulted in the expected performance gains.
“We had a better balanced car at the beginning of the year. I think as we’ve put load on the car, it hasn’t correlated with what we’ve seen in our tools,” Horner added.
The Role of Car Balance and Correlation Issues
Horner emphasized that the balance of the car has played a critical role in Red Bull’s recent struggles.
At the start of the season, the RB20 was more balanced, giving Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Pérez a car that was more predictable and easier to drive.
However, as Red Bull has continued to develop the car, it appears the upgrades have disrupted that balance.
Another key issue Horner highlighted is the difficulty in correlating the data from their development tools—such as wind tunnel testing and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD)—with actual on-track performance.
“As we’re starting to push the extremities of these regulations, sometimes you find that correlation drops out between track and your simulation tools, which are primarily the wind tunnel and CFD,” Horner explained.
This lack of correlation has become a significant challenge for Red Bull as they try to maintain their competitive edge in a sport where every millisecond counts.
Horner acknowledged that other teams are also facing similar difficulties as they push their cars to the limit under the current regulations.
Focus on Addressing the Issues
Despite these setbacks, Horner remains confident that Red Bull will find solutions. “There’s been obviously a big push to understand that and address it,” he said, indicating that the team is working hard to regain their earlier form.
With several races left in the season, Red Bull Racing will need to act quickly to close the gap to their rivals.
The team has shown resilience in the past, and their ability to adapt could prove crucial in the battle for both championships. However, if the correlation issues persist, Red Bull’s road to victory could be steeper than expected.