Persistent problems with the RB20 have left Red Bull a shadow of their dominant 2023 form. Max Verstappen has failed to win any of the last five races, scoring only 66 points during this period. In response, the Dutchman has been working closely with the engineers to find a solution, and Helmut Marko has revealed the inputs provided by him.
As reported by Autosprint, Marko said that Verstappen wasn’t in favor of driving the RB20 with extra load points, if it fetched a negative response. “We have to dismantle it and hopefully find the sweet spot of the balance,” the Austrian said.
The Red Bull chief advisor also claimed that the team had a series of new parts added to the RB20 since the start of the season. Unfortunately, they didn’t work well. The balance got off-put, leading to issues with the drivability of the car.
Verstappen and Sergio Perez had both been complaining about the RB20’s balance since the Miami GP in May. The race marked the beginning of their downfall, and although Verstappen was still managing to scrape in wins and podiums, the car was nowhere near its dominant best. Gradually, McLaren overtook them as the fastest team, and as of the last Grand Prix in Monza, Red Bull was fourth quickest.
Helmut Marko: “A Monza abbiamo capito che la RB20 ha un problema di base enorme. Il test sulle gomme potrebbe aiutarci a tornare sulla giusta via”#F1 #RedBull https://t.co/VcdipBwOMu
— Autosprint (@autosprint) September 3, 2024
Red Bull needs to figure out where they went wrong in their development trajectory. The same can only happen if they dismantle the car and rebuild it from scratch, Verstappen said after the Italian GP.
Red Bull’s faltering dominance also coincided with Adrian Newey’s departure from the Milton-Keynes-based team. However, Marko insisted that the 65-year-old’s exit had nothing to do with it.
Newey’s exit not a reason for Red Bull’s poor form
Marko revealed that Newey has not been a part of the development team since “spring” (around April) when the car was still a dominant force on the track. As such, there is nothing he could have done to influence the good performances Red Bull had early on in the season. Consequently, his absence had no effect whatsoever.
Not taking anything away from the legendary aerodynamicist, Marko stated that Newey’s expertise always distinguished him from the rest of Red Bull’s employees. However, their issues lay elsewhere.
What the fix to their problems is, remains unknown. But Verstappen, Marko, and the rest of the team have taken a more active approach in figuring a solution out.
There is a Pirelli tire test scheduled before the Azerbaijan GP takes place in two weeks. Red Bull will be looking to use that to its advantage and find out what went wrong.
