After his victory in the sprint race yesterday, Max Verstappen is a candidate for victory this Sunday in Texas, thanks to an improved Red Bull. Explanations.
In Texas, Red Bull postponed the sprint race and will start from second place on the Grand Prix starting grid, behind the McLaren of Lando Norris. Like in Singapore, therefore, even if, this time, the Briton inherited pole thanks to the red flag which interrupted the Dutchman’s second attempt. The latter could have taken pole position.
Indeed, in Austin, the MCL38 proved to be less dominant than in the last race. With suspensions set very low and very rigid, it suffered in the Esses, the only portion of the circuit not to have been resurfaced and therefore remaining bumpy.
Slightly redesigned pontoons
Conversely, in this section, the Red Bull was impressive, as if immune to the bounces which affected the other cars. The changes that Milton Keynes made (only to Verstappen’s car this weekend) confirm the progress noted in Singapore.
The rear hood of the RB20 has been redesigned: the curve of the sidepods descends more steeply, as can be seen by comparing the yellow curves and arrows in the image above.
The edge of the flat bottom has also been retouched, subtly, as can be seen by comparing the red arrows.
Sovereign in quick portions
If the Red Bull lost time against the McLaren and especially the Ferrari in the slower corners, of which there are many at COTA, it was formidable in the fast sections, much more so than Lando Norris’s mount.
“The car suffers from bouncing at fast speeds,
explains the Briton. Compared to the Ferraris, you lose time in slow corners. Their speed is incredible in slow corners. In Singapore, they were already very fast, but they had missed their qualification. Here we are not very comfortable while our opponents have taken a step forward.”
This last point is perhaps the most important. Okay, the Red Bull did not regain its superiority at the start of the season in Austin, but it regained its performance in the fast corners without losing its balance in the slow corners – a compromise that it had not succeeded in to be found during the last races.
Enough to allow Max Verstappen to express himself fully and aim for victory in the race:
“We made improvements to the car that made it faster and more enjoyable to drive. We have to hope that this will be enough to win the race, because the gaps are minimal.”
