Red Bull Racing are on the edge as McLaren could pip them in the constructors championship leaderboard at the upcoming Azerbaijan Grand Prix. On top of that, defending champion Max Verstappen’s lead in the drivers championship is not safe either as Lando Norris is set to get preferential treatment at McLaren.
That being said, Red Bull Racing are indeed making amends to curb the struggled ans transform RB20 into a winning car again. However, the pursuit is easier said than done and Max Verstappen, for that matter, admitted that the revival is taking longer than anticipated. But will the drink based outfit introduce more upgrades as desperate measure?
Max Verstappen Spills Red Bull Upgrade Mystery
Max Verstappen’s dad, Jos Verstappen, earlier claimed that Red Bull is not listening to his son’s feedback and continues to provide him with wrecked machinery. However, Max Verstappen refuted the claims recently to state that there’s definitely listening. But as far as improvements are concerned, it’s gonna take time. The three-time world champion added that currently, the Bulls are struggling to find a solution to the car’s core issue, which is balance. Deriving accurate data is taking longer than anticipated, and that’s the sad reality of the team’s slump. “We just need time to test and evaluate. It’s just, unfortunately, taking a bit longer than we want,” Verstappen told the media.
While the obvious solution is to introduce upgrades, it’s not as easy as it sounds since Christian Horner earlier admitted that RB20 development has hit the ceiling. The car’s design, in fact, needs to be simplified now to ensure it regains the desired speed. Notably, Red Bull’s origin of the key problem happened during the development program itself. Hence, neither do they want to take the risk nor do they have the finances to do so. Meanwhile, Max Verstappen refused to shed light on Red Bull’s upgrade schedule. He admitted that he already had a couple of race wins that perhaps he shouldn’t have had the rivals not sabotaged their own races. Regardless, as long as the urgency in Milton Keynes prevails, Verstappen is happy to grind hard with the team to ensure Red Bull prevails in the constructors’ title race. “We always want to be more competitive, and the Team has been working hard to improve the issue,” Max said.
McLaren To Enforce Team Order In Favour Of Lando Norris
In a desperate bid to help Lando Norris beat Max Verstappen in the championship standings, McLaren has decided to enforce team orders on Oscar Piastri. McLaren team principal Andrea Stella confirmed that the team is ready to prioritise Norris over Piastri for the rest of the 2024 F1 season.
Interestingly, Stella claimed that Oscar Piastri was on board with the plan. However, the team principal clarified that team orders will be enforced to an extent that it does not violate the principals of McLaren. That being said, McLaren’s latest admission is an alarming sign for Red Bull and Max Verstappen as the Papaya team is gunning for both the championship.
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