Red Bull is facing a good challenge from McLaren this year. Since 2022, the Austrian outfit enjoyed an unbelievable domination in the grid. In the case of the pace of their car, the Milton Keynes team has been enjoying the success of their superior car to others. No other team came close to challenge their dominance in the last two years. Christian Horner’s team dethroned Mercedes in 2022. Since then, the Silver Arrows have been going downhill. They have been winless since last year. On the other hand, the Austrian outfit went on to win a record 21 races of 22 rounds in 2023. The one race that they did not win last year was in Singapore, that Ferrari happened to win.
In 2022, Red Bull had won 17 of 22 races. That’s how dominating they have been in the last couple of years. On the other hand, McLaren has been the most impressive team since the second half of the last season. Everybody has been talking about the magnificent improvement in the pace of their car since last year. But things turned scary for the reigning champions in the 2024 Miami Grand Prix. Lando Norris won his maiden GP, beating Max Verstappen. Later, in Imola, McLaren’s Norris came very close to beat Verstappen once again. Hence, Red Bull is looking to ramp up its upgrades because of the McLaren threat.
McLaren Giving Nightmares To Red Bull Lately
When the Red Bull team used to dominate the grid with an incredible win percentage and pace of the car, they had the luxury to take as much time as they want with their F1 upgrades. However, lately, McLaren has catched up really well with the Austrian outfit in terms of the performance of the car. Hence, Christian Horner’s team is going through a phase when they have lost the luxury to take much time with upgrades. They must not leave any performance on the table if they want to continue with their hegemony.
In Imola, the difference was less than a tenth of a second. That was the difference between the Red Bull car at pole position and the car off the front row in the Emilia Romagna GP. Now, the Austrian outfit knows they have to ensure that they don’t fall behind. Hence, the Red Bull team brought new upgrades to Imola. Some of these handful new parts will look to tidy up some of the RB20 car’s weaknesses. They have changes in their front wing as well as the nose of the car.
New Necessary Upgrades Coming For The Austrian Outfit
The new front wing features a revised flap layout. That will change the nose of the car as well. Red Bull tried to see if the assembly can increase the load. For that, they extended the chord length of the flap. It is in the upper two flaps’ moveable section. In the main picture, the white dotted line notes the change in shape for the trailing edge of the upper flap.
Moreover, new arrangements are also there. It is noticeable at the bottom of the image. The attack’s chord and angle are not similar of the two specifications. On the other hand, the sponsorship logo is more prominent with the new design.
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