Former Ferrari manager, Peter Windsor didn’t mince words in his response to Ted Kravitz’s recent comments about Max Verstappen. The Sky Sports presenter highlighted how Verstappen could potentially use the RB20 as a scapegoat for a possible exit from Red Bull. Interestingly, Kravitz’s comments came after the Dutchman brushed the wall during qualifying in Monaco which ended up ruining his weekend.
During a discussion on the Cameron F1 podcast, Windsor expressed his disbelief over Kravitz’s claims. He stated, “I don’t understand at all. He [Max Verstappen] doesn’t need a scapegoat if he wants to leave Red Bull. It’s pretty clear why he’ll leave. It’s because Adrian Newey has left.”
With Newey, the design genius behind Red Bull‘s recent dominance, leaving the team, it’s only natural for Verstappen to have concerns about the future. As Windsor aptly put it,
“Why does he need to create any other thing? I mean the truth and the reality is that Adrian is not staying with Red Bull and so there’s every reason for Max to be a bit concerned about the future and what he might be doing… It’s a big change for him and that’s logical as well. He doesn’t need to start trashing the car in order to have an excuse to leave.”
However, the Dutch driver’s frustrations aren’t made up. Red Bull has struggled to extract the maximum potential of the RB20 on circuits with bumpy surfaces and where riding the kerbs is crucial for maximizing lap times.
Red Bull’s philosophy behind the RB20 focuses on maintaining a constant ride height to maximize aerodynamic performance. This is achieved by using a very stiff rear axle, which works well on smooth, high-speed circuits but becomes a headache in setting the car up for bumpier tracks.
The stiff suspension setup limits their ability to adapt to less rigid configurations that might perform better in such conditions. Following the Monaco GP, Verstappen and Red Bull motorsport advisor, Helmut Marko have said that there is something fundamentally wrong with the car.
Red Bull is struggling with correlation issues
Helmut Marko recently pointed out a significant issue with Red Bull’s simulator data, which shows the car handling kerbs perfectly, something that is clearly not reflected in their on-track performances.
“Simply put, that means the simulator and reality don’t correlate,” the Red Bull motorsport advisor wrote for Speedweek. “We are optimistic we can at least find out why the simulator produces data that does not correspond to reality. But Montreal could also be a difficult weekend for us.”
Helmut Marko, known for his outspoken nature, expresses concern about the misleading hypothetical field simulations affecting Red Bull’s performance.
Marko acknowledges the challenges faced by the team, particularly regarding the lack of correlation between the simulator data… pic.twitter.com/0lpvnCIQ6B
— This is Formula 1 (@ThisIsFormu1a1) May 30, 2024
This problem is eerily similar to the issues Mercedes faced at the start of the ground-effect regulations in 2022. They also reported correlation issues between simulator data and actual performance on track, particularly with porpoising.
However, with Ferrari and McLaren making rapid improvements, Red Bull’s issues could become a significant concern. Their lead in both the drivers’ and constructors’ championships has been shrinking as recent races have shown the team struggling to maintain their dominance.
