Red Bull team principal Christian Horner says his drivers are trapped in a “vicious circle” with the balance problems of their RB20 Formula 1 car.
World championship leader Max Verstappen fears that he is now going to lose this year’s title as a result of Red Bull’s difficulties with its 2024 F1 challenger.
After finishing a lowly sixth in the Italian GP, Verstappen said that development directions taken by the team over the past 12 months had triggered a downturn in form.
“Last year we had a great car, which was the most dominant car ever, and we basically turned it into a monster,” he said, after claiming it was unrealistic to think he could now maintain his title lead.
Horner has opened up on the difficulties that his squad is facing, and explained that curing problems in one area of the car only serves to open up issues in another.
“We've got a disconnection in balance that just isn't working,” he revealed.
“As soon as you end up in that situation, you're harder on tyres. You then end up compensating, you move the balance around, you secure one problem and you create another. So you just end up in a vicious circle.”
While Red Bull was alone in not running a Monza-specific low-dowforce wing last weekend, Horner says that was not really a big factor in why it struggled so much.
“I think it's more balance,” he said. “100% it is 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 you then end up compensating for that. Then you create understeer. And it's on such a fine line.
“You can see it in qualifying. On a scrubbed tyre with a balance, we could do a 19.6 that matched the best times. Then we put two new sets of tyres on, the balance is then completely out, and we go four and a half tenths slower.”
Red Bull has spent the last two weekends in Zandvoort and Monza trying to understand what has gone wrong with its car, which has included experiments with its floor, but still does not have clear answers.
But with title rival McLaren now appearing competitive on all types of tracks – even venues it was not quick at 12 months ago – Horner concedes that pressure is mounting on Red Bull to find a quick fix.
“With the pace that we had [in Italy], both championships absolutely will be under pressure for sure,” he said.
“We have to turn the situation around very quickly. I think this circuit has exposed the deficiencies that we have in the car versus last year.
“We have a very clear issue, which has been highlighted this weekend, that we know we have to get on top of and address, as otherwise we put ourselves under massive pressure.”
But with development lead times so long in F1, time is of the essence for Red Bull if the team is not to risk McLaren and Lando Norris slashing the deficits they have in the constructors’ and drivers’ championships.
“I think the most important thing is understanding the issue,” added Horner. “And then I think there are certain fixes that potentially can be introduced.
“They will perhaps not resolve the whole issue, but address some of it. We've now got a two-week period before Baku and Singapore, and then we have another mini-break where we can work between Singapore and Austin. Time now is crucial.”
