The Formula One world will move to Azerbaijan and Singapore in back-to-back GPs. Both tracks offer a different set of challenges. Meanwhile, the Baku city circuit will be a stern test for struggling Red Bull. In the backdrop of a chaotic season, the Milton Keynes-based outfit grapples with numerous issues. Although the team started with a high spirit, with Max Verstappen touted as the top contender for WDC, the performance crashed in the mid-season.
Since then, the squad has not stepped out of the puddle. Rising powers like McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes are breathing on RBR’s shoulder. Thus, keeping up the pace is now a challenge for the team. However, the team has been in a slump for the past few weeks, forcing Max Verstappen and CO. into survival mode.
Can Red Bull Face The Challenge Of Baku?
The Italian GP was a reality check for the defending champions. While the team came hoping to turn the tables, things got worse. As a result, both the RBR drivers had a terrible outing in Monza, finishing sixth and eighth. Further, it created an opening for McLaren to cut short the lead, which is now less than ten. Lando Norris trails by 62 points behind Verstappen. This isn’t even the worst part for the Bulls, as the team is still clueless about a solution. The RB20 is smeared in balancing issues, requiring some deep work. A quick fix to return to the winning ways is off the table. The team would at least have to wait till the United States GP for a visible change. Hence, the upcoming Baku challenge appears to be a hornet’s nest for the current table toppers. The Azerbaijan city circuit is a complex track with plenty of straits and 90-degree corners. Meanwhile, the Red Bull team has a troubled history with the Singapore circuit. Even in the unicorn year 2023, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez were eliminated from the Q2, failing to compete for the victory.
While the dominant RB19 had a tough time on the Marina Bay Street circuit, the current RB20 could be a complete fiasco. Pierre Wacche and his crew’s biggest challenge is countering the balancing issues. The car’s rear and front work like two separate components. As a result, if the rear-end balance is fixed, it disrupts the front-end and vice versa.
Red Bull Needs To Contain the Damage
The RBR starlet Max Verstappen has opened up several times about the ‘bouncy nature’ of the car on bumps and kerbs. It shows the team is running low on confidence, and it might be withered down to pieces after the Azerbaijan and Singapore showdown. Subsequently, the ‘survival mode’ is the best option for the RBR squad. The team needs to minimize the damage by not giving away too many points. Until the damage issue is solved, the Austrian outfit must focus on committing fewer mistakes and maintaining a close gap with McLaren.If McLaren manages to surge to the top while maximizing their lead, Red Bull’s comeback would be extremely difficult.
