“I see it as a detriment probably to Verstappen”- Former F1 designer says there are certain elements in the car which needs consideration.
Max Verstappen has been the only threat to Mercedes dominance since the start of the last season, but his car’s limitations don’t equip him to take on Lewis Hamilton and Valtteri Bottas fully.
Former Formula 1 car designer Gary Anderson has pointed out a few limitations in Red Bull’s car, which make other drivers not adapt to the system and pose problems for Verstappen.
“I will say that it’s got a very peaky downforce level. They use the rake of the car to get the front wing near the ground. So they’re working the front wing very, very hard,” he said on The Race’s podcast episode.
“They’re definitely working items on that car that are designed to have airflow separation. And that’s all great stuff as long as you’re in control of it all and you can manage it all, and you can make it work for you.”
“Verstappen is at that point where he understands all that feeling here, and he understands what it’s all about. But I see it as a detriment really to be honest, and I see it as a detriment probably to Verstappen.”
Will Sergio Perez settle in?
Whilst spotting mistakes in Red Bull’s fundamental designs, Anderson opinionates that the car is challenging for any driver to handle. Therefore, he suggests a few changes to make things easier for Sergio Perez, who is about to start with Red Bull in 2021.
“If I was Red Bull, I’d be looking at trying to make sure you build a car that hasn’t got that peaky downforce. It might detract from Verstappen’s performance a little bit initially, but I’m sure in the long term it’d get better for him,” concluded Anderson.
