Red Bull has been dominating the grid since 2022. That was the year when it all changed for every team in the grid. To close the gap between every team, the cost cap rules came into play. Moreover, the ground effect and cost cap rules helped some team and didn’t help another group of teams. For instance, since 2022, Red Bull and Ferrari have been performing far better than Mercedes. Since last year, McLaren has made a huge progress in terms of their car performance. Clearly, the Red Bull car in 2023, RB19, was an inspiration for McLaren’s B-spec version of MCL60. That’s why in the second half of 2023, McLaren was the best team after Red Bull.
In the ongoing season, McLaren has been quite impressive. Lando Norris won the Miami Grand Prix. His teammate Oscar Piastri had a podium finish in Monaco, when Red Bull failed miserably. But Max Verstappen and the Austrian outfit will be eager to get back to their quite familiar winning ways in Canada next weekend. Lately, the Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan insisted that the team should not lose faith in their development process as they try to close the battle at the top.
Red Bull Chief Engineer Believes The Team Should Continue To Have Faith
When the 2024 season started, it looked like another Red Bull domination to follow. In the first two races at the Bahrain GP and the Saudi Arabian GP, it was complete Austrian outfit hegemony. Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez had back-to-back one-two finishes. However, in the very next race in Australia, Max had a shocking DNF, and Checo could not make it to the podium either. There was an issue with the brake engine. But then the reigning champion came back stronger in races such as the Japanese GP and the Chinese GP. However, in the last three races, Verstappen had lost twice. In Miami, McLaren’s Lando Norris won with new upgrades and in Monaco, the hometown racer, Charles Leclerc of Ferrari won.
Nevertheless, the chief engineer Paul Monaghan of Red Bull said there is no reason to worry as they have plans to introduce new upgrades, too. According to Motorsportweek.com, Monaghan mentioned prior to the Monaco GP that Red Bull is not dealing with a car that’s off pace and needs big changes immediately. No, the chief engineer says they do have a competitive car. Most importantly, they have a good understanding of the car, and hence, there is no reason to doubt the development process. Moreover, “Red Bull has updates coming,” says Monaghan.
Monaghan Says, “We Ain’t Lazy”
The Red Bull chief engineer said ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix that an upgrade’s visual appearance does not necessarily indicate its aerodynamic performance. Moreover, Paul Monaghan says that with an increase in production needs, they will be able to determine when they can bring the new upgrade package. Last week, they were a little tight because Ferrari and McLaren beat them.
But Monaghan says, “It’s not something you react to.” He emphasizes that they have a ready-to-go plan. Most importantly, the chief engineer believes that they are not lazy in making improvements. That’s why he says, “When they’re ready, they will be.” Moreover, Monaghan says there is no need to worry but they will race with more people.
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