Red Bull Racing is preparing to introduce a significant new development at the United States Grand Prix in Austin, which will mark the return of Formula 1 in two weeks.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner confirmed that these improvements are primarily aimed at perfecting the balance of the RB20, to better position it for the final races of the 2024 F1 season.
Red Bull, however, is not the only team preparing something new for Austin. Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren also intend to make significant changes. However, Red Bull’s main objective is to capitalize on the lessons learned since Monza and fine-tune the balance between the front and rear of the car.
“Sector 1 of the Austin circuit is very fast and requires a well-balanced carspecifies Horner. Our team has worked hard to resolve the car’s issues and we hope these updates will help correct some of the imbalances seen in recent weeks.”
A weekend under high pressure
Horner also highlights the importance of the Sprint race weekend in Austin, a format that reduces preparation time for teams. With one practice session less, the teams will have to quickly find their bearings.
Additionally, some sections of the track have been resurfaced, which could add a new variable to consider in settings.
“We must be ready to get to the heart of the matter from the first sessionssays Horner. The nature of the Sprint weekend requires you to be efficient from the start to maximize the car’s performance.”
Long-standing aerodynamic issues
In discussing the difficulties of the RB20, Horner draws a parallel with Michael Schumacher’s experience at Benetton in the 1990s. Back then, Schumacher was capable of taming a difficult car to drive, a talent that Max Verstappen seems to share.
“Max has an incredible ability to work around problemshe explains, while Checo [Pérez]
was further impacted by these difficulties. It’s a bit like what we saw with Schumacher: a difficult car to manage, but one that an exceptional driver can master.”
Simulations far from reality
One of the biggest challenges for Red Bull is the gap between simulation data and actual on-track performance. Horner admits that the results obtained at some circuits, such as Monza, were far from forecasts.
“We have identified a disconnection issue between the front and rear when we reduce downforcehe declares. The results on the track were not at all what we expected, and this forced us to review certain aspects of the car’s design.”
With these new developments, Red Bull hopes not only to resolve these problems, but also to strengthen its dominance for the end of the season, while Max Verstappen is on the verge of winning a new world title.
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