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Red Bull denies decline in performance: 'We haven't changed anything!'
At the Miami Grand Prix, the hierarchies in the Formula 1 field suddenly appeared to shift from the races before. While some critics spoke of a Red Bull decline, Pierre Waché tells a different story.
After a particularly dominant season in 2023 in which Red Bull Racing won 21 out of 22 races, the Austrian racing stable looked set to do the same in 2024. Indeed, at the start of the season, Max Verstappen won four out of the first five races.
But at the sixth Grand Prix of the season, in Miami, there was a shift at the front. Not Red Bull, but McLaren suddenly had the fastest car in the field, a factor which contributed to Lando Norris winning his first Grand Prix that weekend.
Red Bull does not speak of a dip in performance
Fans and critics spoke of a Red Bull decline, but the Austrian team's Technical Director, Pierre Waché, denies this. In fact, the Frenchman claims Red Bull had not changed anything about the RB20 by then.
Therefore, when asked by Motorsport.com what had changed since the race in Florida, Waché could not answer. "That is a good question because we have not changed the car. We didn't change the way we tuned the car either, so it seems that that turnaround was more down to others than to ourselves, so others made a big move."
So it was not Red Bull, but McLaren that caused the shift in hierearchies at the top. The Frenchman admires how quickly the Woking-based racing stable was able to make the new package work. Especially in tyre wear, McLaren suddenly proved a lot better than Red Bull, much to Waché's surprise. McLaren maintained the fastest car throughout the season. This ultimately led to the Woking-based racing stable winning the constructors' title, while Red Bull however finished third in the standings.
The Austrian racing stable was also accused of using asymmetric braking which helps cars be more stable and balanced upon corner entry, providing an edge in performance, which was then deemed irregular by the FIA. According to Waché, Red Bull did not take have such a system, so they did not have to modify the car after all.
This article was written in collaboration with Sandy van Wjingaarden.
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