Red Bull’s 2024 journey could be divided into two halves—a solid opening with sheer combination and a sudden downfall after the internal mishap. As a result, the team is currently struggling to win races while the world title dream keeps slipping away. When Christian Horner was embroiled in a controversial case, the management had no idea it would destroy their on-track domination. Further, when technical missteps garnished the internal conflict, the result was a vulnerable squad. To add to the miseries, McLaren decoded the ground effect and used a magical configuration to sail over the reigning world champions.
Currently, the Woking squad sits 41 points ahead of Red Bull in the Constructor’s Cup chart. Meanwhile, Lando Norris defeated Max Verstappen with a 21s margin to bring down the Dutchman’s lead to 52 points. Therefore, the Papaya squad appears confident of beating the current world champions. However, Helmut Marko, the senior RBR advisor, has warned McLaren ahead of the Austin GP.
Red Bull Eyes Redemption With Mega Austin Upgrade
In a recent conversation with SpeedWeek, Helmut Marko warned arch-rivals McLaren ahead of the upcoming Austin showdown. He started by talking about Lando Norris’s impressive victory in Singapore. The win helped him to reduce the gap with Verstappen and aided McLaren’s lead. Therefore, Marko believes that the Bulls need to turn things around and improve significantly. He is hopeful about a strong performance in Austin and the new floor upgrade.
Moreover, the Austrian executive suggested that when Verstappen starts winning again, Perez would join in, and everything would flip. However, the team needs a wider car development window to achieve that, which has been a major concern. At present, the RB20 functions in a very narrow spectrum, making it sensitive and prone to balance issues. Improving the window would subsequently increase the car’s speed. However, Marko remains confident in the technical team’s ability to refine these factors.
The 81-year-old executive stressed the importance of translating the performance to the race track rather than limiting it to simulation. The lack of alignment between simulation results and on-track performance has been the reason behind RBR’s missteps. Therefore, the final throw of dice in Austin needs to extract performance. This is RBR’s last resort to return to the top spot, or else McLaren would cruise over to lift the world titles.
Red Bull’s World Title Hope Depends On Austin Floor Upgrade
Red Bull’s technical team, led by Pierre Wache, is set to introduce a new floor upgrade at the upcoming Austin Grand Prix. This development is seen as a critical move in their championship pursuit. However, with the short time frame between the Singapore and U.S. races, the team could only implement minimal tweaks to the car.
The effectiveness of these adjustments will be evaluated based on feedback from both drivers. Despite the limited changes, the team is hopeful that this upgrade will help narrow McLaren’s 41-point lead in the Constructors’ Championship.