2024 Oracle Red Bull Racing F1 Team

[ispano6]

Some good information describing HRC's perspective dealing with the 2024 season.

"Red Bull & HRC Close-Up: While they have achieved an "aggressive cooling system," they also struggle as their rivals recover. PU trouble is a "major point of regret"

Red Bull started using a cooling system that prioritized aerodynamics last year, and HRC made efforts to meet those demands. Specifically, the power unit cooling has margins in various areas to ensure reliability, but by discussing those margins with the team and changing the way the car is driven or the specifications of the cooling system, it is possible to eliminate areas that are not necessary. This allowed Red Bull to design the aerodynamics aggressively while still ensuring reliability.

As a result, Max Verstappen won two consecutive races at the start of the season for Red Bull Honda RBPT. The highlight of the first half of the season for Red Bull Honda RBPT was the Japanese GP, which was held in spring this year. Verstappen set the fastest lap and won the race, while his teammate Sergio Perez finished in second place. Shintaro Orihara (trackside general manager) of HRC also said the following.
...

"HRC's best race was our home Grand Prix at Suzuka. Red Bull finished one-two and RB's (Tsunoda) Yuki got his first points win at Suzuka."

　However, for Red Bull Honda RBPT, this one-two finish at the Japanese GP was their last one-two in the first half of the season, and after this, the weaknesses of the RB20 gradually became apparent: the low, stiff suspension system that was designed to maximize aerodynamic efficiency.

　In fact, this weakness was also present last year, and was the cause of the team's defeat at the Singapore GP, which had a bumpy road surface. However, the team developed the RB20 without fundamentally resolving this problem. This year, apart from the Singapore GP, where the team was not particularly noticeable due to the poor performance of its rivals last year, the team struggled at the Australian GP, ​​which had a bumpy road surface, and the Canadian GP, ​​which had a circuit with high curbs.

　It also became clear that there were issues with the aerodynamics that prioritized aerodynamic efficiency. At the Hungarian Grand Prix, where there was less need to prioritize aerodynamic efficiency, Max Verstappen ran a completely different aero specification to the one he had been using until the first half of the season.

Furthermore, Honda's power units, which had been highly reliable until last year, also experienced unexpected problems. The biggest of these was a high-voltage problem that occurred in Max Verstappen's power unit at the 9th race, the Canadian Grand Prix.

"The problem with Max's power unit during free practice at the Canadian Grand Prix is ​​a major lesson learned from the first half of the season. Not only did we lose track time, we also lost an engine."

　The cause of the problem has now been identified and a fix has been put in place, and special testing of other engines in the pool has confirmed they do not suffer from the same problem as the Canadian Grand Prix, so it is unlikely that Verstappen will suffer a similar problem.

　However, the price was high. Having lost one engine, Verstappen and Red Bull decided to take a penalty at the Belgian Grand Prix and put in a fifth ICE for the second half of the season. Last year, Verstappen also received a 10-place grid penalty for an engine change at the Belgian Grand Prix, but he went on to win the race.

　However, they only managed to finish 4th in this year's Belgian Grand Prix. This is because the three rival teams, Mercedes, Ferrari and McLaren, who were in a slump in the first half of last year, have regained their form since the second half of last year and have regained their form since the first half of this year. This is also evident from the fact that this season has been a close one, with seven winners in the first half of the season alone.

　Last year, there were only three winners throughout the season, and only five in 2022, but this year there have been seven winners in just the first half of the season. The most recent season with seven or more winners was 2012, when there were eight winners, and the championship race went all the way to the final race.

　For Verstappen to win the Drivers' Championship for the fourth consecutive year, he must accumulate as many points as possible in the Singapore GP, Qatar GP, and Las Vegas GP, where he struggled last year. Furthermore, he must not allow any fatal problems to occur not only with the power unit but also with the car body.

　For Red Bull Honda RBPT to defend the constructors' championship, it is essential that Verstappen and his teammate score points. Red Bull held a meeting after the Belgian GP and decided to continue with Perez. The success or failure of that decision will be questioned in the second half of the season.

https://www.as-web.jp/f1/1114345?all

[AR3-GP]

Yuki being much younger has a much higher ceiling than Ricciardo. The stigma of being Japanese/Asian and also Honda backing is being held against him. It's clear this is Horner's decision and while people think that Ric is getting closer, it is more that Yuki doesn't give a --- anymore it seems.

Albon raced for Red Bull. What does being Asian have to do with it?

It's hard to pinpoint. But equating Alex and Yuki as the same "asian" is again an example of the "othering" aspect. Yuki has a cultural and language "barrier" to overcome compared to Alex. They've come through in vastly different ways, and they at least gave Alex a chance in the seat and deemed him too early. In any case, people will call out "attitude" but I remember Max, Seb, and don't see much difference in Yuki. People think of it as "disrespect toward your engineer etc" but it's not, drivers shouldn't have to be like that when they need a killer instinct, particularly when struggling to be competitive relative to your current position.

Red Bull had negative experiences with young drivers who are keen to prove themselves against Max (Gasly and Albon). Tsunoda is in same position. Sainz was in the same position (twice). Red Bull have to choose a driver who they believe can cope with driving alongside Max Verstappen and that is why Perez and Ricciardo were sought after. They are GP winners who are mature and understanding of their own limitations. Tsunoda is not there yet. It has nothing to do with culture or language.

In any case, people will call out "attitude" but I remember Max, Seb, and don't see much difference in Yuki. People think of it as "disrespect toward your engineer etc" but it's not, drivers shouldn't have to be like that when they need a killer instinct, particularly when struggling to be competitive relative to your current position.

The similarity is big part of why Tsunoda is not considered. As I said earlier, RB are not choosing drivers in isolation. What do you think is going to happen when a temperamental Tsunoda can't beat Max? Red Bull can see it coming from a mile away and don't want to put Tsunoda or themselves through it.

[Bill]

Yuki is not allowed to even be the lead driver at v carb.they bought devries for that and when it didnt work they brought daniel .marko ones alluded to the fact that yuki is Honda driver and when they leave redbull yuki will go wherever honda goes,so he will always be looked at as the outsider.

[Zynerji]

Yuki is not allowed to even be the lead driver at v carb.they bought devries for that and when it didnt work they brought daniel .marko ones alluded to the fact that yuki is Honda driver and when they leave redbull yuki will go wherever honda goes,so he will always be looked at as the outsider.

Alpine should cut a listed parts deal with AM-Honda and put Yuki in the lead car.

[Dunlay]

The similarity is big part of why Tsunoda is not considered. As I said earlier, RB are not choosing drivers in isolation. What do you think is going to happen when a temperamental Tsunoda can't beat Max? Red Bull can see it coming from a mile away and don't want to put Tsunoda or themselves through it.

This is a bad argument. Nobody would expect Yuki to beat Max. Yuki would know it's a hard job and would be satisfied to run close. If he doesn't, he will give reasons and excuses in the beginning and then go in a shell like Perez and Riccardo (McLaren) have been. His temperament would die down with lack of consistent success. Not too hard to guess. Simple human behaviour.

What happens if he does give Max a run for his money? How would Max behave? He doesn't like to lose to his team mate ever.

Yuki deserves the opportunity, much more than Kvyat, Albon and Gasly deserved. But being an Asian, it's normal to be ignored. If not for Yuvidhya, Albon wouldn't have got his opportunity. One should read Zhou's recent interview to understand.

[ispano6]

The similarity is big part of why Tsunoda is not considered. As I said earlier, RB are not choosing drivers in isolation. What do you think is going to happen when a temperamental Tsunoda can't beat Max? Red Bull can see it coming from a mile away and don't want to put Tsunoda or themselves through it.

This is a bad argument. Nobody would expect Yuki to beat Max. Yuki would know it's a hard job and would be satisfied to run close. If he doesn't, he will give reasons and excuses in the beginning and then go in a shell like Perez and Riccardo (McLaren) have been. His temperament would die down with lack of consistent success. Not too hard to guess. Simple human behaviour.

What happens if he does give Max a run for his money? How would Max behave? He doesn't like to lose to his team mate ever.

Yuki deserves the opportunity, much more than Kvyat, Albon and Gasly deserved. But being an Asian, it's normal to be ignored. If not for Yuvidhya, Albon wouldn't have got his opportunity. One should read Zhou's recent interview to understand.

Absolutely agree. Lawson nor Hadjar have the experience to justify a RB seat yet without having gone through the JR team. No one here will be able to produce evidence that supports such a claim within this season. Only Yuki has proven so far that he should be first up to be considered for the RBR seat. The flipside is VCARB want/need Yuki more in order to secure points of their own, but its no where near a top team or the 'big boys' that would satisfy Yuki. It could also be that Ricciardo could score more points in RB machinery than he could in VCARB machinery, which is more than what Perez could as well, so to cut their losses, they use Ric in the RB and wring out Tsunoda to dry until the Honda relationship is over. In the end it might not matter as Max might not be at RB and AMR might be where Yuki wants to be next!

[Watto]

The similarity is big part of why Tsunoda is not considered. As I said earlier, RB are not choosing drivers in isolation. What do you think is going to happen when a temperamental Tsunoda can't beat Max? Red Bull can see it coming from a mile away and don't want to put Tsunoda or themselves through it.

This is a bad argument. Nobody would expect Yuki to beat Max. Yuki would know it's a hard job and would be satisfied to run close. If he doesn't, he will give reasons and excuses in the beginning and then go in a shell like Perez and Riccardo (McLaren) have been. His temperament would die down with lack of consistent success. Not too hard to guess. Simple human behaviour.

What happens if he does give Max a run for his money? How would Max behave? He doesn't like to lose to his team mate ever.

Yuki deserves the opportunity, much more than Kvyat, Albon and Gasly deserved. But being an Asian, it's normal to be ignored. If not for Yuvidhya, Albon wouldn't have got his opportunity. One should read Zhou's recent interview to understand.

On paper I would agree that Yuki deserves the RBR seat ahead of any of the other drivers RBR gave.


I suspect sadly the Verstappen have a little too much input into who that may be.

While I tend to accept there is likely an element of hes Asian. Its also a over simplification. I though that Rosberg said a while ago about racing Hamilton comes into it - I think too why Albon has probably improved more since going to Williams. But said was more or less Lewis had a ton of natural talent but works his ass off to improve. You use him as a measuring stick. You find a track or section of a track where you are faster then him, before you know if Lewis is working twice as hard to fix that side of his driving. It takes a huge mental toll, a ton of natural talent, bring ultra competitive even with team mate, I think Max is a lot like Lewis there.That is the question it is hard to know if Yuki could handle. Can say you can only try no doubt but if but is what worse that what Perez is doing now (and I think that is the issue with Daniel too tbh would he really do much better than Perez atm, his RB form doesn't make that obvious. I think there are a lot of factors in all of this and settling on one is probably never the right answer.

[Dunlay]

The similarity is big part of why Tsunoda is not considered. As I said earlier, RB are not choosing drivers in isolation. What do you think is going to happen when a temperamental Tsunoda can't beat Max? Red Bull can see it coming from a mile away and don't want to put Tsunoda or themselves through it.

This is a bad argument. Nobody would expect Yuki to beat Max. Yuki would know it's a hard job and would be satisfied to run close. If he doesn't, he will give reasons and excuses in the beginning and then go in a shell like Perez and Riccardo (McLaren) have been. His temperament would die down with lack of consistent success. Not too hard to guess. Simple human behaviour.

What happens if he does give Max a run for his money? How would Max behave? He doesn't like to lose to his team mate ever.

Yuki deserves the opportunity, much more than Kvyat, Albon and Gasly deserved. But being an Asian, it's normal to be ignored. If not for Yuvidhya, Albon wouldn't have got his opportunity. One should read Zhou's recent interview to understand.

On paper I would agree that Yuki deserves the RBR seat ahead of any of the other drivers RBR gave.


I suspect sadly the Verstappen have a little too much input into who that may be.

While I tend to accept there is likely an element of hes Asian. Its also a over simplification. I though that Rosberg said a while ago about racing Hamilton comes into it - I think too why Albon has probably improved more since going to Williams. But said was more or less Lewis had a ton of natural talent but works his ass off to improve. You use him as a measuring stick. You find a track or section of a track where you are faster then him, before you know if Lewis is working twice as hard to fix that side of his driving. It takes a huge mental toll, a ton of natural talent, bring ultra competitive even with team mate, I think Max is a lot like Lewis there.That is the question it is hard to know if Yuki could handle. Can say you can only try no doubt but if but is what worse that what Perez is doing now (and I think that is the issue with Daniel too tbh would he really do much better than Perez atm, his RB form doesn't make that obvious. I think there are a lot of factors in all of this and settling on one is probably never the right answer.

Red Bull (or Newey?) have always designed the car for one driver. Fast cars, but with inherent balance issues that requires a specific kind of driver to drive around those issues and bring performance out. It reminds me of Honda-Marc Marquez situation. If Red Bull loses Max and doesn't get a top of the line driver, they are doomed. They will be midfield team at best. They need to fix that approach. That would make life easier for the second driver and then you don't have to guess if a driver is going to perform or not in those tricky cars. They have lost good drivers like Gasly and Albon because the cars they drove were way off balance. Instead of comparing to Max and speculating if the second driver is going to perform or not, they should learn to build cars that work for variety of driver preferences. It would then make it easier to take drivers from the grid and get them working.

[Curbstone]

Red Bull (or Newey) don't design the car for one driver, that's just nonsense. they design a car which is as quick as possible and can still be controlled bf the driver, preferably both of them but at least one . The best driver is the one who is fast, has a lot of feeling for the car and can adapt quickly between different driving styles.
When you change that approach, your car will have less potential in the car and thus be less quick. Combine that with a driver who needs an 'easy' car and whom probably isn't such be a great driver, you will lose performance on both sides (car and driver) and you will still be lost in the midfield.

Also, without that approach, they wouldn't have won the championship in 2021, so it's not a faulty approach..

[Jurgen von Diaz]

Red Bull designs fast cars and has talented driver who can use the full potential of the car, while less talented drivers are not able to do so. The RB20 is not a hybrid-Mercedes, which can be dominant even when its engine is underpowered and can be driven towards victory by a reserve driver (Russell, Bahrain 2020).

[Henk_v]

Well, if you have only one specially talented driver, or better a driver with some special talents only one of your drives possesses, then designing a car that requires those talents to be driven to its full extend is the same as designing the car for one (of) your drivers.

But then again, we are all spectators here. We know Max likes a looser tail. But how much? It would be great fun to have all drivers on the grid do a lap in the RB19, set up just how Max likes it and see how they cope. Would most struggle or may we assume any driver worth F1 can manage and we are talking minor differences?

[Jurgen von Diaz]

Well, if you have only one specially talented driver, or better a driver with some special talents only one of your drives possesses, then designing a car that requires those talents to be driven to its full extend is the same as designing the car for one (of) your drivers.

But then again, we are all spectators here. We know Max likes a looser tail. But how much? It would be great fun to have all drivers on the grid do a lap in the RB19, set up just how Max likes it and see how they cope. Would most struggle or may we assume any driver worth F1 can manage and we are talking minor differences?

Max is 78 points ahead and moving towards the championship. We can say Red Bull has done a great job with its car design. The problem is the sh*tty driver in the other car. If the car had been designed so that both drivers would have had equal amounts of fun, would they have even had any wins this season?

Like Toto said, "Max is winning the races, not Red Bull," so would Red Bull have even been the dominant team without taking this design path? I think not. Red Bull's (Max's) dominance is an entirely different story than Merc had in the hybrid era. Red Bull's domination was based on Max's talent with good and uniq car, while Merc's was based on a superior engine and car.

[Wynters]

2021 was openly rigged, 2022 and 2023 Perez wins the WDC if he's lead driver. This year's a bit of different story (Perez still wins 3 of the first four races in that scenario but now the performance gap has closed up Verstappen is making a demonstrable difference) , but to pretend that Verstappen is the key ingredient to Redbull somehow 'scraping' the last three WDCs is fanciful at best. Put almost any midfield driver in the car for the last three years, and they're a triple WDC. Red Bull have done a superlative job in this era.

[Curbstone]

Well, if you have only one specially talented driver, or better a driver with some special talents only one of your drives possesses, then designing a car that requires those talents to be driven to its full extend is the same as designing the car for one (of) your drivers.

But then again, we are all spectators here. We know Max likes a looser tail. But how much? It would be great fun to have all drivers on the grid do a lap in the RB19, set up just how Max likes it and see how they cope. Would most struggle or may we assume any driver worth F1 can manage and we are talking minor differences?

I have never heard such a thing, and I don't think any F1 driver really likes a loose tail.
I do know Max prefers a very pointy front end, and can handle the loose tail which is sometimes a result of setting up a pointy front.
I think we have a pretty

[Curbstone]

Max is 78 points ahead and moving towards the championship. We can say Red Bull has done a great job with its car design...

You design the car for a full year, not just half a year. Let's have a look at the points tally and number of wins at the end of the year before we state Red Bull did a great job with it's car design.
I have some strong doubts. Looking at the steps others have made it doesn't seem they are close to the performance ceiling, so I don't believe RB should be either.