Red Bull should not accept being overtaken by F1 rivals as 'normal'

Max Verstappen says his Red Bull Formula 1 team should not accept the new reality of the rival team’s closure as “normal”.

Red Bull has enjoyed two dominant seasons under the current regulatory cycle, but while getting off to a strong start with its RB20, it has now seen McLaren close the gap, with Mercedes and Ferrari also competitive on circuits that suit their cars.

Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan said the gains the team had made in developing the RB20 were increasingly small, while team boss Christian Horner also felt it was normal for other teams to make up the deficit over time.

“If you ignore 2023, we’re in for an incredible year,” Horner said. “It’s just that 2023 was a unicorn and that’s normal. It’s Formula 1.

“It is normal that there are great teams, great drivers and that there is competition. And the advantage of stable regulation is that it always converges. »

But speaking ahead of this weekend’s Austrian Grand Prix, Verstappen doesn’t want Red Bull to accept the new normal, or be content with the fact that they’ve still managed to score three wins in the last five victories even though he didn’t necessarily have the fastest car.

“In general, everyone has come closer,” he said. “Of course, we had an extremely dominant year last year, even up until the last race. And yeah, right now everything is a little bit more difficult and I think we have to be honest about that.

“We could say: ‘Yes, that’s normal.’ I don’t think this is normal. We always want to be better, and that’s why I bring up this point.

“I could also say, ‘Yes, we won, so that’s good.’ » But of course, I don’t see it that way.

“We have to continue to work hard. If we think it’s normal, people will pass us by. »

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

When asked where he thought McLaren was stronger now, he replied: “Clearly we are lacking some things. McLaren, I think, just have better balance, a strong front, they can attack well corners without the tires overheating.” .

“And they’re actually good everywhere. The street circuits, the faster tracks. And of course, we’re a little bit less (competitive) on those street circuits.

“On the vibrators and the bumps, there are already two things that we really need to work on.

“The handling of the car and just the balance too, but those are things that can’t be fixed overnight.”

“At the moment, it is clear that others have made greater progress than we have.”

The world champion says he is personally lobbying Red Bull factory staff to deliver upgrades as soon as possible during the summer months.

“Yes, absolutely. And I’m very busy with that,” he explained. “Every day I work with the engineers and I also try to make sure that the updates come earlier, that’s normal.

“I have the right to be critical. If I say, ‘Yes, everything is fine. I’ll see you next week on Thursday.’ Then things wouldn’t go well for long.

“Of course I have confidence in the continued development of the car as a whole, but that has to come to fruition in the coming weekends when we bring these updates to the car.”