Red Bull has been the team to beat in the current ground-effect era of F1, dominating the competition for the past two seasons. However, cracks are beginning to appear in their armor this season. Red Bull has already lost three races out of eight in 2024, marking the first time the team has shown significant vulnerability since the regulations changed.
Red Bull’s struggles aren’t expected to go away any time soon, with chief advisor Helmut Marko predicting a tough outing in Canada this weekend. The problem with its car – the RB20 – lies in its inability to handle bumpy tracks and aggressive kerb riding.
HELMUT MARKO: “We are not going to Canada as favorites. If the rain comes, the Max factor will come back!”
they’ve got max and that’s it huh? pic.twitter.com/rQW8ktTpZS
— Verstappen News (@verstappenews) June 6, 2024
The Circuit Giles Villeneuve (Montreal, Canada), known for its high-speed chicanes, requires cars to ride the kerbs aggressively to post fast lap times. Unfortunately, the RB20 doesn’t perform well under those conditions.
The obvious solution to this problem would be to raise the car’s height. However, according to Marko, the approach isn’t feasible. “If we change the (ride) height, we lose a lot of downforce. That’s why we are limited in this area. We are mainly focused on aerodynamic efficiency when designing our car,” Marko said as quoted by Grandprix.com.
Red Bull driver Max Verstappen echoes Marko’s concerns. The three-time World Champion also doubts the team’s ability to solve these issues quickly.
Barcelona to be the real test for Red Bull
Two weeks ago, Verstappen finished P6 in Monaco, his worst result of the 2024 season. Now he predicts a tough outing in Montreal. The new surface in the circuit could surprise many and Verstappen acknowledges that. But he feels that Red Bull will be one of the teams severely impacted by this resurfacing.
After Canada, however, Red Bull doesn’t expect too many hiccups. They remain optimistic about their performance on smoother tracks and more ‘traditional circuits’.
Marko feels that the Spanish GP, which takes place after Canada will be the real test of Red Bull’s dominance, which many feel is faltering.
On the other hand, Red Bull will also have to keep an eye out for McLaren and Ferrari. Their recent upgrades have brought them on par with the Austrian team, and the latter has to find a way to maintain downforce while raising the car’s height.
