Red Bull Racing have lost their invincible dominance in F1 after just one full season in 2023. After a strong start to the 2024 season, the drink based outfit encountered struggles with their car, the RB20, from the Miami Grand Prix onwards, resulting in a steep decline in performance.
Naturally, the rivals, including McLaren, took advantage of Red Bull’s downfall to crawl back as winning contenders. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have won a race each and consistently secured podium finishes. Meanwhile, amid escalating rivalry, Red Bull team principal Christian Horner opened up about factors that set McLaren apart.
Christian Horner Pins Blame On Shorter Operating Window For Red Bull’s Decline
Christian Horner, the team principal of Red Bull Racing, recently shed light on an interesting development in Formula 1, where the pecking order has been reset with the rise in McLaren’s competitiveness. Horner’s comments come as McLaren has shown significant improvement in their performance, particularly in the 2024 season, where they have emerged as a stronger contender against top teams like the Bulls and Mercedes. In a candid chat, Horner confessed that his team has a narrow operating window, which is making the lives of drivers and engineers miserable. In Formula 1, the “operating window” refers to the range of conditions under which a car performs at its optimal level. This includes factors such as tyre temperature, aerodynamic balance, and engine performance.
Hence, a car with a wider operating window can adapt better to different track conditions, weather changes, and varying fuel loads, making it more versatile and consistently competitive across different circuits. However, Red Bull hasn’t been able to make adjustments to their car freely, whereas McLaren has had the privilege of a wider operating window. “McLaren has a wider operating window than us at the moment,” Christian Horner said. McLaren’s adoption of a wider operating window has had a noticeable impact on their performance. Both Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri have delivered strong results. And this newfound competitiveness has spice to the excitement of the championship, as more teams are now in the mix at the front of the grid. Notably, the gap between RBR and McLaren in the constructors title is reduced to just 40 points with half of the season still left on the cards.
Red Bull To Alter RB20’s Specs To Improve Checo’s Form
Besides RB20’s newly found struggles, Sergio Perez’s decline in form is another headache for Red Bull Racing. Despite everything, the team decided to keep him in the second seat for the rest of the season and is likely to change his car’s specs in a potentially last bid to revive Checo’s form.
Sergio Perez earlier stated that Red Bull’s upgrades directly affected the RB20’s balance and performance, resulting in a steep decline in his form. Hence, as per rumours, Red Bull might revert back to old specs in Checo’s RB20 to see if the Mexican driver can rediscover his initial form that was on display at the beginning of the season.
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