Red Bull Not Abandoning Upgrades Despite Barcelona Struggles

In the latest Formula 1 news, Daniel Ricciardo has revealed that Red Bull Racing (RB) is not abandoning its recent lacklustre upgrades ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix. Despite the upgrade package introduced in Barcelona failing to deliver the expected results, with both drivers eliminated in Q1 and Ricciardo finishing 15th, the Australian driver has stressed that the team is not writing off the new parts just yet.

Ricciardo Remains Hopeful

Speaking to the media, Ricciardo admitted that there are still questions surrounding the upgrades, but emphasized that RB is not convinced that the upgrade is a complete failure. Instead, he and teammate Yuki Tsunoda will run different set-up configurations in a bid to unlock the revised package’s potential.

“We’ll start different tomorrow morning and then hopefully learn a bit from practice, and then merge for the Sprint quali,” Ricciardo explained. “We’re not chucking anything in the bin yet. But there is still no firm conclusions, I would say. It’s a bit harder on a Sprint, but we have to keep trying to plug away at it.”

Ricciardo refused to disclose which driver would run the car with older parts in Austria, but hinted that one driver would be using an assortment of components, including updates that RB didn’t bring to Spain. When asked if one car would be running the pre-Barcelona car to get a comparative test against the upgraded machine, he replied: “It’s a bit of a mix. There are certainly some old bits on one and whatever, but it’s not just like for like.”

RB’s Continued Efforts

RB CEO Peter Bayer had previously suggested that reverting a car to the pre-upgraded specification was an option, but Ricciardo clarified that this would not be the case at this event. Instead, the team will continue to test and refine the upgrades in a bid to understand what went wrong in Spain.

Tsunoda is optimistic that the team has now identified the root cause of its troubles in Spain and is confident that a repeat won’t occur at the Red Bull Ring this weekend. “We’re going to test for sure, as a team across the cars, and even though we knew that it’s going to be a Sprint qualifying race,” the Japanese driver said. “We wanted to know these answers soon as possible, with comparing the cars. It’s not like old or new and everything. We’re still bringing some new parts into this week.”

With Formula 1 news constantly evolving, Ricciardo’s comments will be closely monitored ahead of the Austrian Grand Prix, as RB looks to bounce back from its disappointing performance in Barcelona. As the Formula 1 calendar progresses, teams will be eager to refine their strategies and unlock the full potential of their cars.

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