(Motorsports news) Last weekend, both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez struggled at the Marina Bay track, with neither making it out of Q2 as the team suffered its first defeat of the season. While its problems over the weekend were exacerbated by setup errors, its head engineer Paul Monaghan hinted that ‘inherent’ faults were also a factor.
When asked if this had been present all season, Monaghan replied, “Sort of.” It’s difficult to convey without expanding, but you’re on the right track.” When asked to explain what Monaghan was referring to, Red Bull team manager Christian Horner alluded to the car’s lack of strength in short corners. He claims that the first proof came at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Verstappen was pushed hard by Fernando Alonso for pole position and the race victory.
“Certainly, if you look at a race like Monaco, Fernando’s lap time there was phenomenal,” Horner added. “It took something special from Max: I believe he broke through every barrier in the final sector to take that pole position, which is obviously critical there.”
Horner stated that Red Bull can consider correcting its short corner issues for 2024, but he was also aware of how tough it was to build a car that was quick on all types of circuits and bends. “It’s obviously something we’ll be looking to address going forward because you have to have a car that can compete across a broad spectrum of circuits,” he said. “And I believe that’s where RB19 has been particularly effective.”
“However, it is obviously finding that balance of how much you weigh in which specific area.” Because, as we can see behind us, various cars are better suited to different circuits. “So having one that fits the entire envelope and covers the entire envelope is extremely difficult.”
The underlying feature of the Red Bull’s RB19 means that even if Red Bull returned to Singapore knowing what the problem was, it would most likely not automatically dominate. “There’s never a silver bullet with any of these things,” he explained. “It’s a combination of how you interact with aerodynamics and your mechanical setup.” It definitely interacts with the tyres and the circuit layout.
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