Red Bull’s disillusionment after the Spanish Grand Prix: « Our car is simply too slow »
Despite the new rules on front wing flexibility, Red Bull was hoping to close the gap on McLaren at the Spanish Grand Prix. But team consultant Helmut Marko admits that the RB21 is still lagging behind. Max Verstappen finished 10th and saw Oscar Piastri extend his championship lead.
A technical regulation that changes nothing. The introduction of new front wing stiffness tests by the FIA, intended to limit their flexibility to 10 millimeters, had raised some hopes at Red Bull. Several teams, including theirs, modified their designs to comply with the new regulations. But on track, McLaren remained unfazed: a double victory in Barcelona and pole position with the largest margin of the season.
« The whole weekend was a shock for us », Helmut Marko told Servus TV. « We had hoped that the new regulations, with wings tested at only 10 millimeters of flexion, would bring a noticeable improvement. »
However, nothing has changed. Worse: Red Bull is still three tenths of a second behind per lap, just like at the beginning of the season. « This means that everything we have brought in the meantime has changed nothing, or that McLaren has simply continued its development, in a better way. And we thought we were on par », continues Marko. « The entire weekend was disappointing for Max and for all of us, because we saw once again that McLaren is clearly superior. »
Verstappen wins, Red Bull doubts
On Sunday, Max Verstappen seemed to be heading for third place before a safety car was deployed 11 laps from the finish. An incident later and a penalty: the Dutchman finished 10th, his worst result of the season. He is now 49 points behind Oscar Piastri in the overall standings.
Marko, clear-sighted, admits it bluntly. « Our car is simply not fast enough. I have to acknowledge it openly. Max is still pushing absolutely to the limit, every lap, it’s the only way. We see it now, even Yuki Tsunoda is struggling, like all his teammates before him. Only Max can really handle this car. »
A revealing statement of internal imbalance: the RB21 seems increasingly dependent on the excellence of its triple world champion.
Glimmer of hope… but time is limited
Red Bull has, however, noted slight progress in the car’s overall behavior. Our car now has a wider operating window, explains Marko. When everything aligns, we are as fast as McLaren. The problem is that this only happens to us one race out of three or four; McLaren, on the other hand, are always competitive.
And with ten Grand Prix wins out of the last twelve, the Woking team has clearly taken the upper hand. Red Bull, on the other hand, is still searching for the formula.
« If we do not quickly correct these weaknesses, the gap will become a real problem », warns Marko. « I think it’s currently about 49 points. But we had something similar with Sebastian (Vettel) in 2013, I believe he was about 47 points behind Alonso, and we managed to come back. »
The message is clear: « We do not give up, but it will be difficult. »
