Formula 1 News: Ricciardo Reveals RB’s Half-Upgraded Spec for British Grand Prix Amid Performance Slump
In an effort to halt their recent slump in performance, Daniel Ricciardo disclosed on Thursday that his team, Red Bull Racing (RB), will be running a half-upgraded spec machine for the upcoming British Grand Prix. This strategic move comes after the Faenza-based outfit’s recent struggles, which saw them introduce an almost entirely new Formula 1 car for the Spanish Grand Prix, only to experience a disappointing double-Q1 exit and scoreless round.
Despite scoring in the four preceding rounds, RB’s new upgrades failed to deliver the desired performance. The team’s fortunes improved marginally at the Red Bull Ring, with Ricciardo securing a ninth-place finish in the Austrian GP, but the Australian driver acknowledged that the pace was still lacking. This prompted a change in approach at Silverstone, with the team opting for a mix of new and old components.
“I’d say for now the experimenting is done, and we have both cars on the same stuff this week, and it’s honestly a mixture of new and old,” Ricciardo explained. “We brought quite a bit to Barcelona, and yeah, some good things, some not so. It’s odd, so honestly, it’s probably like half, like straight down the middle, new and old.”
Ricciardo emphasized that removing half of RB’s upgrades has instilled confidence in the team, recognizing that not all new parts are necessarily upgrades. He conceded that the journey of discovery across the Summer Formula 1 triple-header was crucial in understanding why the upgrades didn’t work, which will ultimately benefit the team moving forward.
“We have confidence that we now have currently the best parts on the car,” Ricciardo concluded. Teammate Yuki Tsunoda shared a similar sentiment, viewing RB’s recent setbacks as an important learning experience. “We have to understand clearly what was causing the issue, but pretty much most of it we covered the reasons why we weren’t able to perform,” the Japanese driver said.
RB currently occupies sixth position in the Constructors’ standings with 30 points, but their recent dip in form has left them vulnerable to Haas, which has elevated itself to seventh in the standings with 19 points after a double-scoring finish in Austria. As the Formula 1 calendar progresses, it’s essential for RB to recover its form to keep the American Haas outfit at bay in the midfield battle.
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