Red Bull Racing won five of the first seven rounds of the 2024 F1 season and was poised to produce a repeat of the 2023 dominant season. However, following a debacle in the Monaco Grand Prix, the drink-based outfit appeared to have hit a snag.
RB20 was suddenly not the fastest car on the grid anymore as McLaren, Ferrari, and even Mercedes recorded massive lap time gains. Meanwhile, amid a sudden drop in performance and a fury of speculations over the causes of it, F1 pundit Antonio Lobato alleged that FIA’s crackdown on Red Bull has apparently resulted in their downfall this year.
Did Red Bull Use Illegal Means In RB20 Development?
Red Bull Racing, after winning 22 of the 23 races in 2023, never imagined in its wildest dreams that the 2024 season would be severely competitive and harsh on the team at the same time. Since the Monaco Grand Prix debacle, the team has been constantly challenged by McLaren, Ferrari, and Mercedes. McLaren, in fact, is the fastest car on the grid at the moment. Needless to say, the sudden drop in the performance of RB20 left the fans and analysts confused. While RB claimed that the car’s balance and lack of correlation with simulator data is a problem, F1 pundit Antonio Lobato highlighted a different and shady perspective altogether at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
Antonio Lobato alleged that Red Bull was asked to remove some illegal parts of the RB20 after FIA’s inspection. They found some parts of the car weren’t in compliance with the rules and regulations, and hence, FIA cracked the whip. And apparently, the drink-based outfit started to witness a downfall thereafter. “The drop in performance is because some team found out something illegal,” Lobato said. However, Red Bull has defied these rumors altogether. They strongly believe the lack of wind tunnel time during winter car development has impacted their growth. On the other hand, the rivals have pushed for aggressive development, thus resulting in increased competitiveness. One way or another, the defending champions are in serious trouble. They have introduced an upgrade package in Hungary and expect the underlying issues to be resolved effective immediately.
Helmut Marko Set High Hopes From Red Bull’s Hungary Upgrades
Meanwhile, to curb the competition and stay ahead on championship race, Red Bull Racing introduced a series of upgrades for the Hungarian Grand Prix. Helmut Marko, the senior advisor, expressed confidence in the packages and claimed that the package has served its purpose. “They were competitive, so we are confident for this weekend,” Marko said after free practice sessions in Budapest.
Notably, the upgrade package included a noticeable engine cover along with several other parts. However, the cover appears to be missing from Sergio Perez’s car. Marko confirmed the speculations, saying both Max Verstappen and Checo will be driving the upgrades, except Checo won’t have one part, which is the widely noticeable engine cover. “The difference in performance between the two cars is only marginal,” Marko added.
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