Red Bull’s Struggles on Bumpy Circuits Raise Concerns Ahead of Canadian Grand Prix
Red Bull’s Formula 1 woes on bumpy circuits, including the notorious Monaco street track, have raised concerns about their performance at the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal. The team’s RB20 chassis struggled with kerb-riding ability in Monaco, resulting in a disappointing sixth-place finish for Max Verstappen and an early exit for Sergio Perez in Q1.
Verstappen believes that the bumpiness of the Montreal circuit, despite being resurfaced, will still pose a challenge for the team. “We have to wait and see [how we’ll perform in Canada], new surface as well I think, that might also give us some surprises,” he said. “But it is probably also not going to be our strongest weekend because of that. But probably a little bit better than [Monaco].”
The Dutch driver acknowledged that Red Bull tends to struggle on tracks with heavy kerb usage, which could impact their performance in Montreal. However, he remains hopeful that the team will have a better understanding of their car’s limitations by the time they reach Canada.
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner disagrees, citing the team’s historical success in Montreal. He believes that the lessons learned in Monaco can be applied to improve their performance in Canada, despite the resurfacing of the track. “It’s a track that we’ve performed well at previously. They’ve resurfaced the whole circuit again. So let’s see,” Horner said.
Meanwhile, Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko attributed the team’s struggles on bumpy circuits to a correlation issue with their simulator. He explained that the team’s virtual set-ups, which perform well in the simulator, do not translate to real-world performance. Marko is confident that the team will regain their dominance when the Formula 1 calendar returns to Barcelona in June.
As the team looks to bounce back from a tough weekend in Monaco, they’ll need to address their kerb-riding issues to remain competitive in the Formula 1 standings. With Ferrari and McLaren closing in, the Canadian Grand Prix promises to be an intense battle.
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