Red Bull Risks Carrying the Gremlins of the RB20 Over to the RB21 With FIA’s Cost-Cap Restrictions

Red Bull Risks Carrying the Gremlins of the RB20 Over to the RB21 With FIA’s Cost-Cap Restrictions

Red Bull has had to endure a difficult season, with the likes of McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes all emerging as strong contenders for race wins in 2024. The Milton Keynes-based team has gone winless since the Spanish GP eight races ago, struggling with fundamental issues in the RB20’s design.

Early on in the season, Red Bulls suffered from low-speed instability, coupled with a ride-height incompatibility on bumps and kerbs. This was particularly evident in circuits with low-speed corners, like Monaco.

The Dutch GP, however, exposed another significant flaw in Red Bull’s design philosophy, as Max Verstappen struggled with severe understeer and oversteer during cornering. Unfortunately, these issues have become ingrained in the overall package of the RB20. Team Principal Christian Horner has revealed that they will carry forward into 2025.

Talking about the development of next year’s car, the RB21, Horner explained (per Autosport), “Next year’s car will be an evolution of this year’s car.”

He explained that the current cost-cap regulations restrict how much change can be brought on a per-season basis.

“I mean, there’s many components of last year’s car that have been carried over into this year. Because with the way the cost cap works, unless there’s significant performance upgrade, it doesn’t make sense,” Horner added.

The Austrian squad still has six more rounds left in the Championship to limit the damage for both this season and 2025.

Red Bull has teased floor upgrades for next week’s US GP in Austin, which could help address the RB20’s weaknesses. With the team trailing McLaren by 41 points in the Constructors’ standings, Red Bull will be hoping these updates deliver.

Team advisor Helmut Marko has stated that they will build on the changes introduced at the Singapore GP before arriving in Austin. As quoted by RacingNews365, the Austrian said, “Max will be driving in his own class again,” suggesting that Verstappen will be able to win races comfortably again.

Verstappen is 52 points ahead of Norris in the Drivers’ Standings.

Post Edited By: Somin Bhattacharjee
Christian Horner Max Verstappen Red Bull

About the author

Anirban Aly Mandal

Anirban Aly Mandal is an F1 writer at The SportsRush, with over 1000 articles under his belt, Anirban's love for F1 started when he discovered a copy of F1 2014 on his computer. With over half a decade's worth of time spent religiously following the sport, he’s dived deep into the world of motorsports. However, Anirban's expertise goes beyond just writing - he has also written several academic papers focused on the domain of motorsports and the law. His passion for the sport is so immense that he aspires to work as a legal advisor in the most prestigious racing series in the world someday. When it comes to Formula 1, Anirban finds great pleasure in re-watching classic races and idolizes the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell, and Sebastian Vettel. His top picks include Brazil '91, Silverstone '92, and Germany '19. Outside of the sport, Anirban is an avid sim racer, often found racing on titles like Assetto Corsa, F1 22, and Automobilista. Apart from his interests in gaming, Anirban has a keen interest in philosophy, literature and music.

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