F1 Journo Gives Insights Into Red Bull’s Upgrades as Baku Package Proves Max Verstappen Wrong

Vidit Dhawan | 14/09/2024
F1 Journo Gives Insights Into Red Bull’s Upgrades as Baku Package Proves Max Verstappen Wrong

After a few difficult race weekends, Red Bull had a much-improved start to the Azerbaijan GP weekend after bringing in a minor floor upgrade. Max Verstappen topped the timings charts in FP1, while Sergio Perez registered the second-fastest lap time in FP2.

Despite this, Verstappen was not happy with the car. F1 journalist Scott Mitchell-Malm from The Race has now explained the changes Red Bull introduced this weekend, which have helped them achieve decent lap times during the two free practice sessions.

“Red Bull’s had a much better day on track in Friday practice at the Azerbaijan Grand Prix, even though Max Verstappen still wasn’t entirely happy with his car,” he said.

He then discussed the “subtle” upgrade Red Bull introduced to the RB20. There has been a geometry change to the back of the floor.

That said, he doesn’t believe the upgrade significantly improved their performance. Instead, he feels it will benefit Red Bull in future races. As for the Azerbaijan GP, the team’s good performance in practice has more to do with the track layout favoring Red Bull.

He concluded that Red Bull now has a much better understanding of its car and knows where to focus future improvements. Mitchell believes the Austrian team may introduce a minor upgrade next weekend in Singapore before unveiling a major one at Austin.

Practice helped Red Bull understand where to improve

Although Verstappen was not very happy with his initial runs in practice, he believes Red Bull learned a lot from the sessions. He hopes the team can use this knowledge to improve the car’s balance for the rest of the weekend, which would make them more competitive.

Red Bull needs a strong weekend to boost its chances of retaining the Constructors’ title this season. Its strong start to the campaign faltered, coinciding with McLaren’s resurgence. After the Italian GP two weeks ago, the Woking-based team reduced Red Bull’s lead to just eight points.

However, given their pace during the two practice sessions and the track record of their drivers at this circuit, Red Bull is hopeful for a strong result. In the past three seasons, Pérez has won twice in Baku, while Verstappen has secured one victory.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Azerbaijan GP Max Verstappen Red Bull Sergio Perez

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Vidit Dhawan

Vidit Dhawan, a Formula 1 Editor at The SportsRush, is intrinsically connected with everything around the sport — from the engine roar, the cacophony on the grandstands to the action. He fell in love with F1 during the inaugural Indian GP in 2011. After more than a decade of deep engagement with the sport, Vidit insists he will remain a lifelong fan of Fernando Alonso, and sees the future of F1 in Charles Leclerc. A sports fanatic from childhood, he discovered his passion for writing while pursuing a bachelor's degree in international and global studies. Vidit has written over 1,700 articles, ranging from news reports to opinions. He thrives covering live action, and loves to dig into the contrasting personalities in the F1 bandwagon and narrate their journey in life as well as the sport. Vidit also follows tennis and football, enjoys playing as well as coaching chess.

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