Red bull

Honda boss Koji Watanabe says the power unit in the back of the Red Bull cars will be improved for 2024, despite the engine freeze. F1 may be in the middle of an engine freeze, which prevents any performance-related development from taking place between now and the change in engine formula for 2026, but that doesn’t mean the power units can’t be improved. Through targeting reliability fixes, which are permitted under the rules, subsequent gains in efficiency and power can be achieved – and Watanabe believes the durability of the Honda power unit can still be improved for next season. Honda targeting durability improvements for 2024 As a power unit ages with mileage, its performance can suffer through degradation. Given that teams are permitted to use just three power units and related hybrid ancillaries in 2023, ensuring the power output it can deliver doesn’t degrade over the miles is key to ensuring competitiveness throughout the season. “In terms of power and … [Read more...] about Honda’s ominous message for rivals over 2024 Red Bull engine

Adrian Newey referred back to a key early lesson from his Fittipaldi Automotive days to rid Red Bull of their bouncing issues with the very first upgrade. The new regulations for 2022 marked a huge shift in the challengers gracing the grid as Formula 1 returned to ground effect aerodynamics, an era which has been aced so far by Red Bull with Newey at the helm of the design team. The RB18 already set an incredible standard with 17 grand prix wins out of 22, a level of dominance only taken to new heights in F1 2023 with the RB19, Red Bull having accounted for 15 of the 16 victories so far this season. Adrian Newey set Red Bull course with swift porpoising fix A key sticking point for several teams at the start of this new regulatory era was a bouncing phenomenon known as porpoising, a characteristic which held Mercedes back in particular with their W13 through the first half of the 2022 campaign. For Newey and Red Bull though, only one upgrade was needed for the opening race … [Read more...] about How Adrian Newey’s incredible F1 mind fixed Red Bull’s porpoising issues

Lewis Hamilton is concerned Mercedes are still so far behind Red Bull in the second year of Formula 1’s current technical regulations. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The seven-times world champion said his team must focus on closing the gap to their rivals after he qualified over a second off Max Verstappen’s pace at Suzuka last weekend. Red Bull have won all bar one of the 16 races so far this year. They clinched the constructors title in Japan and Verstappen is likely to claim the drivers’ championship for the third year in a row in the Sprint race ahead of the Qatar Grand Prix next week. Hamilton said in Suzuka that Mercedes need to “realise that a second gap is huge and it’s real.” “To be two years in and still be a second down compared to the Red Bulls, it’s showing that we need to make sure that we really do a good job over the winter to get back at least half that gap before next year,” he added. Red Bull’s return to winning ways in Japan … [Read more...] about Mercedes must halve deficit to Red Bull before 2024 season starts – Hamilton

Nyck de Vries’ sacking just 10 races into his first full season as a grand prix driver is typical of Formula 1 in general and Red Bull in particular, according to several drivers. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free “That’s how Red Bull do it,” said Lewis Hamilton when asked about the team’s decision to cut de Vries from its junior team AlphaTauri before the halfway mark in the season. Asked whether the decision reflected how F1 works, Hamilton replied: “I’d say that’s how Red Bull works.” The team has some form in making dramatic driver announcements, such as when it promoted Max Verstappen to Red Bull in place of Daniil Kvyat four races into the 2016 season. De Vries’ place has been taken by Daniel Ricciardo, who hopes to use the opportunity to gain a return to Red Bull. Valtteri Bottas . “They obviously follow their view what is the best. “Obviously it’s really a shame for Nyck it was quite a short rookie season unfortunately. But also then it’s … [Read more...] about ‘Cutthroat.’ ‘Brutal.’ ‘That’s how Red Bull works’: F1 drivers on de Vries’ sacking

While Red Bull boss Christian Horner has tipped Liam Lawson to push his way onto the Formula 1 grid, there is “no guarantee” that happens for F1 2025. Lawson found himself going from Red Bull and AlphaTauri reserve to AlphaTauri driver in the blink of an eye back at the Dutch Grand Prix. With Daniel Ricciardo suffering a broken hand in an FP2 shunt at Zandvoort, Lawson was given the nod to take over from the Aussie while he recovered, and it is safe to say that Lawson has not let the opportunity slip through his fingers. Liam Lawson not guaranteed F1 2025 seat The Kiwi has more than held his own against team-mate Yuki Tsunoda, yet to be defeated in race trim by the driver now in his third full season with AlphaTauri, leading to increasingly loud calls for Lawson to be given a full-time seat with the team for F1 2024. That did not come to pass, with Red Bull opting to field Tsunoda and Ricciardo at their junior team next season, though Horner had said it is “only a matter of … [Read more...] about Liam Lawson handed warning on chances of full-time Formula 1 drive

Nyck de Vries’ exit from Formula 1 was watched by those around him with anguish. His childhood dream, which he spent his career working towards, ended far more quickly than he must have expected after starting what was supposed to be his first full season. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Red Bull made the tough decision to replace him after less than half a season, placing Daniel Ricciardo at AlphaTauri before the Hungarian Grand Prix. On paper it made sense: Despite his team mate Yuki Tsunoda having just two points on the board at the time, De Vries was yet to get off the mark and had made some costly errors on-track. The axe fell after three tough races finishing near the back in Canada, Austria and Great Britain. Losing his seat before the halfway mark in the championship, shortly before his home race, seemed particularly tough even for the cutthroat world of Formula 1. Lewis Hamilton , Charles Leclerc, Yuki Tsunoda and Alex Albon all spoke out … [Read more...] about De Vries ready to fight for Formula E titles again after “hurt” of losing F1 drive

Sergio Perez has admitted he is going through a “rough patch” on track after he lost “trust” in his car after his Monaco qualifying shunt. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free The Red Bull driver continues to hold second place in the drivers’ championship, but is 99 points behind his team mate Max Verstappen . Perez has failed to reach Q3 in grand prix qualifying for the last five consecutive race weekends, a run which started when he crashed out of Q1 during the Monaco Grand Prix weekend. However speaking to media ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix weekend, Perez said his poor run of qualifying results are “not a concern” for him. “I think when you look at those bad qualifyings, there’s always been different situations that we haven’t dealt with as good as we should have dealt with them,” Perez said in response to a question from RaceFans. “But there has always been some external factors. It hasn’t been pure pace, let’s put it that way. “Certainly when … [Read more...] about Perez says “rough patch” began when he “lost trust” in car after Monaco crash

Renault has replaced the CEO of its sports car division Alpine for the first time since the brand’s entry into F1. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Laurent Rossi became CEO of Alpine in January 2021 ahead of its first season in F1, following the rebranding of its F1 team. Renault announced today Philippe Krief has taken over as Alpine CEO while Rossi will “focus on special projects linked to the transformation of the Group.” As CEO, Rossi’s responsibilities for the Alpine brand extended far beyond its F1 team. However he had a significant bearing on the operation and strongly criticised the team following the shaky start to its latest season. Alpine claimed a surprise victory in 2021, its first season in F1, and went on to finish fifth in the championship. It moved up a place to fourth the following year, but also lost the services of both Fernando Alonso and junior driver Oscar Piastri to rival teams. Its progress has stalled this year as Aston … [Read more...] about Rossi replaced after two-and-a-half years as Alpine CEO

Haas team principal Guenther Steiner says Nico Hulkenberg is “absolutely” the best qualifying driver he has had driving for his team. Advert | Become a Supporter & go ad-free Hulkenberg joined the Haas team at the start of this season in place of Mick Schumacher . It is Hulkenberg’s first full campaign in Formula 1 since 2019, when he raced for Renault. Over the first ten rounds of the year, Hulkenberg has started inside the top 10 more than half the time, reaching Q3 on five occasions – once more than Red Bull driver Sergio Perez . He has also out-qualified team mate Kevin Magnussen by a ratio of 8-2. Alfa Romeo sporting director Beat Zehnder recently named Hulkenberg as the best qualifying driver he has ever worked with , as the driver raced for the team in 2013 when it was known as Sauber. Speaking to media in Hungary yesterday, Steiner agreed with with Zehnder’s statement. “I would say so, absolutely,” Steiner said. “He can put a lap together that … [Read more...] about Hulkenberg is the best qualifier I’ve worked with – Steiner