F1 News
Horner explains vicious 'characteristic' which is harming Red Bull
It was another disappointing weekend for Red Bull Racing in Italy, as McLaren continued to gain ground on them at the Italian Grand Prix. The papaya team sit just eight points behind the Milton Keynes-based squad with eight races to go in 2024, as Red Bull continues to struggle with its untameable RB20. Team boss Christian Horner explained to media, including GPblog, what he believes is harming Red Bull's performance, emphasising the hard work his team are putting in to save their world championship efforts.
Red Bull's 2023 dominance feels like a long time ago now, and they have failed to win any of the last six races. Max Verstappen's last victory came in June at the Spanish Grand Prix, which is the Dutchman's biggest win drought for four years. Lando Norris remains hot on his heels as the gap has been reduced to 62 points in the driver's championship.
When asked about the issues with the car, Christian Horner said: "I think actually really going through the data, there were issues there at the beginning of the year and the characteristic. I think others have obviously made a step. As we've pushed the package harder, it's exposed the issue. So even if you go back in the data, there were a few races last year where we started to see this in Austin and so on. It's a characteristic that we know we have to address and it's full focus in the factory at Milton Keynes," the Brit began.
Horner is certain the issue is '100% balance'
So, what is the 'characteristic' causing Red Bull to struggle so much? "I think 100% it’s balance. We haven't got a connection between front and rear. I think Max can't lean on the rear on the way into the corner, or Checo, and I think you then end up compensating for that. Then you create an understeer. It's on such a fine line. You can see it in qualifying. You're on a scrub tyre with a balance, we could do a 19.6 that matched the best times. Then we put two new sets of tyres on and the balance is then completely out and then we go four and a half tenths slower," Horner revealed.
'Crucial' to find a fix before Baku
There's now a two-week break before the next Grand Prix in Azerbaijan. Sergio Perez secured his most recent Formula 1 win here last year, but there's no time for the team to look back on previous successes at the moment. "The most important thing is understanding the issue. I think there are certain fixes that potentially can be introduced. Perhaps not to resolve the whole issue but to address some of it. We've now got a two-week period before Baku and Singapore, and then we have another mini break that we can work in between Singapore and Austin. So this time is crucial," the Red Bull boss concluded.
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14 September 2024
