2024 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

[chrisc90]

Much rather the steadier conditions where its a more 'normal' qualifying. Not a one affected by rain altering the track just as your starting your hot lap. Be much more fun to see when the conditions are 'stable'.

Not too bad today, mighty close at the front with just 5 hundredths separating the top 3. Race pace on the hard tyre looked promising today in Q3, so see how that goes. Expecting a M-H-M tomorrow for the strategy. Likely same as everyone else.


Don't get me started on Perezz, hasn't seen the top 7 since Miami now in qualifying (i think) which is a outright disappointment. P16? tomorrow, and potentially pitlane start if the team don't have enough of the new floor (every time a new floor goes on Checo exposes it the same race he gets it!!!!) to swap out for him.
A driver swap has to happen now. Id swap Danny Ric and Perez over for the remainder of the season and make a decision based on the 2nd half of the season. Likely make or break for Ric - but he's been in that seat before and knows how things work. Perez simply cannot be allowed to continue. Marko and Horner need to realise this. Costing the team monstrous amounts of cash in the budget cap which affects upgrades down the line.

Other option is to put Lawson in the VCARB to get some experience and sack Perez off altogether. That way Lawson has less of a mountain to face being alongside Max and at the front of the grid.

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Not too bad today, mighty close at the front with just 5 hundredths separating the top 3.

Because Norris didn't run at the same time as others.

[f1isgood]

Lando had a solid 2 to 3 tenths to Max in Sector 2 the entire session. Similar degradation and pace as McLaren in the race is all I ask for really. Maybe the race might not be won on outright pace but good strategies and pitstops can do wonders tomorrow. Maybe we will see undercuts that'll help pass the McLaren's if the race pace is comparable.

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Verstappen to the Telegraaf / Erik van Haren

"I'm frustrated and not happy with how things are going."

He has been unhappy all weekend about the antics of his car, the RB20, which should have received a big boost in Hungary. He even described this weekend as crucial. "That's why I'm frustrated. I had hoped it would have yielded more," Verstappen said in the paddock, in measured answers in which he was very clear.

"The updates are working, but I don't think it has delivered the steps we wanted to take. McLaren is in first and second place here, so it's clear that the car is going like a bullet. It's different for us. It's difficult to find a good balance. I think I have to drive more on the limit than last year. And then I think my lap itself was good. You also have to remember that Lando only had one set of new tyres. That's why I think it was a distorted picture, I think the gap is bigger and that will also be the problem in the race."

"Everyone learns from their mistakes. It's not like I'm going to go back to the motorhome now, put my feet up on the table and be fine with it all. I am frustrated and not happy with how things are going. Then I know it could be another 12 long races this way. McLaren has always been fast in recent weeks. Whether it was hot or cold, on any track. We get beaten on pure pace every time.

But on Friday I already didn't think it was optimal, maybe we have a different opinion on that, not everyone understood the situation. With me, they know I don't make excuses, I'm always very real. Maybe not everyone is on the same wavelength. I think maybe some people need to wake up a bit. It's not all very bad, but if you want to be World Champion it has to be better than this."

[f1isgood]

Verstappen

"Everyone learns from their mistakes. It's not like I'm going to go back to the motorhome now, put my feet up on the table and be fine with it all. I am frustrated and not happy with how things are going. Then I know it could be another 12 long races this way. McLaren has always been fast in recent weeks. Whether it was hot or cold, on any track. We get beaten on pure pace every time.

But on Friday I already didn't think it was optimal, maybe we have a different opinion on that, not everyone understood the situation. With me, they know I don't make excuses, I'm always very real. Maybe not everyone is on the same wavelength. I think maybe some people need to wake up a bit. It's not all very bad, but if you want to be World Champion it has to be better than this."

Any idea who he's referring to? Horner?

[Sergej]

very harsh words from Max, Toto will surely be loving it

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Any idea who verstappen is talking about?

Probably team management yes who are pedalling the line that all is fine we're competitive, it was always going to close up etc

Whereas it's quite clear that the RB hasn't been the quickest car for a long time now, happened suddenly, and their own upgrades are hardly moving them forward

[chrisc90]

Verstappen

"Everyone learns from their mistakes. It's not like I'm going to go back to the motorhome now, put my feet up on the table and be fine with it all. I am frustrated and not happy with how things are going. Then I know it could be another 12 long races this way. McLaren has always been fast in recent weeks. Whether it was hot or cold, on any track. We get beaten on pure pace every time.

But on Friday I already didn't think it was optimal, maybe we have a different opinion on that, not everyone understood the situation. With me, they know I don't make excuses, I'm always very real. Maybe not everyone is on the same wavelength. I think maybe some people need to wake up a bit. It's not all very bad, but if you want to be World Champion it has to be better than this."

It makes you wonder what Max is thinking/saying to the team when he sits in the car and see's Checo crash out or not make it out of Q1 week in week out.

I dont think it will be long before the team has Max telling things how they are regarding the 2nd seat. At the minute his 84point lead is probably saving him from the pain of losing #1 in the WDC over the remainder of the season. But the WCC is slipping away. FAST.

very harsh words from Max, Toto will surely be liking it

Toto will love it. But not even everything is in order at the Merc camp so its irrelevant. ANY team would jump at the chance to sign Max

[chrisc90]

McLaren have been fast since Austria last year, when they jumped from being solidly last to being up the front. Car evolution and upgrades are keeping them there.

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I added some more quotes from the Telegraaf article which are very critical of the situation.

Here's the article sans paywall
https://archive.ph/2024.07.20-170114/ht ... ker-worden

[f1isgood]

Any idea who verstappen is talking about?

Probably team management yes who are pedalling the line that all is fine we're competitive, it was always going to close up etc

Whereas it's quite clear that the RB hasn't been the quickest car for a long time now, happened suddenly, and their own upgrades are hardly moving them forward

Okay, thanks. Very fair comment by Max -- at this point it is clear overall that RB20 is not the quickest car over the season. We had ~4 races before Miami and for the last ~8 outings, MCL38 has been quicker over the race.

[Sergej]

so should we expect a difficult race despite the work on race pace, Horner's PR about race setup, etc ? I don't think Max would be that harsh if he knew he has a win capable car for tomorrow ?

those words pose a big doubt about this upgrade, but time will tell

[f1isgood]

so should we expect a difficult race despite the work on race pace, Horner's PR about race setup, etc ? I don't think Max would be that harsh if he knew he has a win capable car for tomorrow ?

those words pose a big doubt about this upgrade, but time will tell

In the past few races McLaren have had better tire degradation and also simply more pace towards the end of the stints. In tomorrow's hot conditions if the car has comparable degradation and similar pace difference to McLaren as qualifying, I would personally consider the upgrade a success. The reality is not that so far McLaren have been at Red Bull's pace. They have been outright quicker, sometimes by even 3 to 4 tenths compared to Red Bull towards the end of the races. If that gap disappears, they have done some good work in my view.

Somehow the last time Red Bull got a big upgrade with a lot of lap-time these regulations was when they went to B-Spec RB18 at Bahrain Testing in 2022. Since then, I don't recall a single upgrade giving them loads of lap time personally. It was always about minor margins. Hopefully they get that margin for the race tomorrow. Even last year the car wasn't the quickest in qualifying -- in fact very hard to be at the limit around this track and lost pole to a rather scruffy lap by Lewis. I hope they can fight in the race with the McLarens.

[Vettel165]

Wait for Spa or Zandvoort for a better picture. Maybe its not all that bad. I would be started getting worried when Max has no chance over the race distance to fight for a win with Norris. But at the same time, hope we turn it around. I would love nothing more than Verstappen again dominating the field, and showing everyone who is the real number 1. Highly unlikely again this year, as Mclaren now is slightly faster. But we have to stay positive.

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In his viaplay and Telegraaf interview Max essentially says he thinks he won't have enough over the season to beat McLaren. 12 more races where your rivals are likely to always be stronger leaves a lot of points to be lost.

As expected this update had to deliver a lot and it seems to have fallen short.