Max Verstappen is confident Red Bull can unlock more performance in 2024, outlining key areas where time can be gained.
Red Bull heads into the 2024 season with a comfortable advantage over their rivals, thanks to the seemingly bullet-proof RB19. However, the Austrian team knows better than to rest on its laurels.
For obvious reasons, many in the F1 world expect another Championship-winning season from Christian Horner’s team.
Without a major regulation change, it seems reasonable to expect Red Bull to fight at the front again.
However, this assumption is not one that the reigning Champions can afford. There are several things in place that could limit their chances of victory next season.
Some of these obstacles are now in-built mechanisms of Formula 1, including the budget cap and wind tunnel restrictions.
With less wind tunnel time than rivals, Adrian Newey and Pierre Wache’s technical team has little margin for error.
According to Max Verstappen, however, there are clear areas where improvements can be found:
“It’s difficult to tell, but of course, we are also working on our car to try and make it better,” PlanetF1 quotes him as saying.
“I think we know our weaknesses as well in the car, and that’s what we’ll try to work on…
“Look at our race weekend in Singapore. In general, on street circuits, I think we are struggling a bit more – like in Vegas also.
“Low-speed is definitely not our strongest point in the car. Bumps, kerbs as well. so that’s definitely an area where we can improve.”
Verstappen identified these areas relatively early last year and still maintains them as a weakness.
Of course, what constitutes “weaknesses” for Red Bull is very different to what rivals would define. However, it is clear that Red Bull’s advantage generally declines at street venues.
At the Monaco GP, for example, it took a herculean final sector for the Dutchman to claim Pole Position.
Perhaps the more concerning event was Las Vegas, where Max Verstappen found himself overtaken by Charles Leclerc late into his first stint.
Without Sainz’s grid penalty and the timing of the safety car, Red Bull might not have won that race.
This isn’t to say that Red Bull will be overly concerned by these examples. Overall, their performance last year was near-perfect.
However, Formula 1 is not a sport that rewards complacency.
This was reflected in Max Verstappen’s relentless approach even after claiming the Championship – and will surely reflect in Red Bull’s development for 2024.
Having started work on the RB20 relatively early last year, it seems safe to expect notable progression from the reigning Champions.
