Red bull junior program

Red Bull have warned rivals that if they think an “ignorant” copy and paste of their RB19 floor will propel them up the order, then they should think again. Crashes for Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton and Red Bull’s Sergio Perez during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend gave rivals a detailed look at the crucial undersides of those challengers as the crane hoisted them away from the circuit. Naturally, that left engineers from rival teams with plenty of photos to study for how they may be able to take inspiration for the floor on their respective cars, with Red Bull’s arguably of greatest interest considering their all-conquering form so far in F1 2023, having won all seven grands prix. McLaren team boss Andrea Stella has already said “hats off” to Red Bull for their work, though Red Bull’s chief engineer Paul Monaghan stressed that it is work which is successfully integrated into their package, and certainly not plug-and-play solutions. Red Bull then now wait to see the results of that … [Read more...] about Red Bull issue clear warning to rivals following RB19 floor reveal

The team which has dominated the 2023 Formula 1 season so far introduced an update to its car last weekend which drew inspiration from a design used by the team currently at the bottom of the standings. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Red Bull’s chief engineer of car engineering Paul Monaghan said the latest revision to the RB19’s diffuser follows a trend adopted by Williams, among other teams. The team increased the curvature of the edges of its diffuser in an update introduced at last weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix in order to increase the downforce it generates. In the information it supplied to the FIA, Red Bull made a point of stating the change “took inspiration from competitor designs.” “You can’t assume that you have the best solution in all areas of the car when you first put your car on the ground,” Monaghan told media including RaceFans. “Our currency is lap time, isn’t it? “If you look that piece of floor design, that was out early 2022. I … [Read more...] about Red Bull’s Spanish GP diffuser update was ‘inspired by rivals’ including Williams · RaceFans

Christian Horner has revealed that attention at Red Bull is already beginning to turn to their 2024 car, with 15 races still to go in 2023. The team have won seven races out of seven to begin the campaign, with the RB19 proving to be the dominant force on the grid and Max Verstappen leading the Drivers’ Championship by 53 points as it stands. Red Bull are already the runaway leaders in the Constructors’ Championship as well, with a tight fight behind breaking out already to be best of the rest – but both titles already look to be something of a foregone conclusion, barring a huge change in fortune. While the team’s penalty for breaching the 2021 budget cap will see Red Bull even less able to utilise their wind tunnel facilities compared to their rivals in 2023, the advantage they have over the rest of the field may make such a penalty seem immaterial at this moment in time, with the race behind being simply to catch up. If attention is turning to Red Bull’s 2024 challenger … [Read more...] about The Christian Horner reveal that spells both good and bad news for rivals

IndyCar points leader Alex Palou is testing for McLaren at the home of the Hungarian Grand Prix today. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free McLaren is holding a three-day test at the Hungaroring which will hold the 11th round of this year’s world championship next month. It is running its 2021 chassis, the MCL35M, in a sponsor-free livery. Race driver Oscar Piastri began the test yesterday before Palou took over. Test and development driver Oliver Turvey will drive the car on Friday. Palou drives for McLaren’s rivals Ganassi in IndyCar. The two teams were involved in a legal dispute over his services last year which was resolved with Palou remaining at Ganassi this season while joining McLaren’s new junior driver programme and becoming the team’s F1 reserve driver. McLaren revealed on social media it is testing at the Hungaroring , which will hold the 11th round of this year’s world championship next month. The team is running its 2021 chassis, the … [Read more...] about Palou takes over from Piastri in three-day McLaren test at Hungaroring · RaceFans

The floor was exposed after Logan Sargeant crashed at the final corner in FP3 in Barcelona and his car was loaded onto a truck. That came just a week after the undersides of the Red Bull RB19 and Mercedes W14 were both captured after accidents in Monaco led to them being craned away. The apparent simplicity of the Williams floor in comparison to those of other cars – especially the Red Bull – was hard for observers to miss. Vowles says the rear angle of the pictures didn't flatter the Williams, but he conceded that the floor is not as complex as those of other cars. "There are photos taken of our floor this weekend after Logan went off in FP3," he said in a team video. "And obviously those have been compared to photography taken of our competitors just a few weeks ago. "I think one thing to point out is they're a little bit deceptive. What's happened here is it's very focused on that rear diffuser ramp, unlike the other photos that perhaps focus more on the front of … [Read more...] about Vowles admits Williams F1 car floor is “lacking detail”

Sebastian Vettel made amends for his last-lap defeat at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve two years ago and bolstered his championship lead with his third victory of 2013. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free It wasn’t a flawless performance from Vettel – he brushed the wall on the way and ran wide at the first corner. But if he occasionally looked like throwing victory away no one ever looked like taking it off him. Vettel streaks away as Bottas goes backwards The same two drivers shared the front row as last year: Vettel ahead of Lewis Hamilton . But the opening laps were strikingly different: far from keeping Vettel in his sights, Hamilton could only look on as the Red Bull drove away in the opening laps. Behind them Valtteri Bottas fought hard to hold onto his hard-won third place from qualifying but his car was clearly unequal to the struggle. Nico Rosberg passed him off the line and Mark Webber got past in the opening corners. Bottas defended firmly … [Read more...] about 2013 Canadian GP review: Vettel makes amends for 2011 – F1 Fanatic

Perez won two of the four opening races of the 2023 season and, after his victory in the Azerbaijan GP, he was just six points behind Verstappen and touted as a potential title challenger. The gap was extended when the Dutchman led a Red Bull one-two in Miami. Perez then had a disastrous weekend in Monaco, crashing in Q1 and finishing well out of the points after a fraught race. Perez again had a scrappy qualifying in Spain that saw him start only 11th. He was able to recover to fourth place in the race. Verstappen won both the Monaco and Spanish events, further extending his lead, with the gap between the Red Bull drivers now standing at 53 points. Horner says that with a title challenge currently looking less realistic a solid race in Barcelona will help Perez to relax. "I think for him that'll give him a lot of confidence coming out of this," he said. "He has had a difficult Monaco, difficult Saturday here, a stronger Sunday. Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing, Max … [Read more...] about Horner: Perez can relax now F1 title pressure is off

Now seemingly on the right path with their car’s development, Damon Hill has told Mercedes to do “really badly” for the rest of this season in order to gain extra ATR [aerodynamic testing restrictions] allowance for 2024. After much speculation, Mercedes arrived at round six of this year’s championship with a B-spec W14, one that no longer featured zero-pods but instead had bulk on the sides for the first time in F1’s new ground effect aerodynamic era. Already the changes, which it must be noted also included a new floor and front suspension, are paying off with the team securing a double podium at the Spanish Grand Prix where Lewis Hamilton was second to George Russell’s P3. The result created cause for optimism, Mercedes now dreaming of closing the gap to Red Bull and becoming the team that ends their winning streak. But even if they win a race, or four, the championship trophies are all but Red Bull’s as, barring disaster, they hold a 135-point advantage in the … [Read more...] about Damon Hill’s ‘absolutely stupid policy and strategy’ to assist Mercedes in 2024

The SF-23 has been quick over one lap in qualifying thus far this season, but has usually lost out to Mercedes , and often Aston Martin as well, over a race distance. That pattern was repeated in the Spanish GP, where Carlos Sainz qualified second but was jumped by both Mercedes drivers, as well as the Red Bull of Sergio Perez , in the race. Vasseur believes that Ferrari will be able to challenge Mercedes in races once it has solved its issues. "I think as soon as we will unlock the situation with consistency we can imagine to fight with them all over the race," he said. "With Red Bull it's another story, especially with [Max] Verstappen. He is still much faster than us in quali, much faster in the race." He insists that Ferrari is keeping up with Mercedes in the development race as both teams strive to catch Red Bull. "An upgrade when you increase the potential of the car, we are speaking about the top," he said. "You have to think that Mercedes, they are not … [Read more...] about Vasseur: Ferrari can fight Mercedes once F1 consistency issues are solved