Monaco Grand Prix Exposes Red Bull’s Weakness on Kerbs and Bumps
Max Verstappen qualified and finished sixth in the prestigious Monaco Grand Prix, while his teammate Sergio Perez was eliminated in Q1 and caught up in a lap-one accident on May 28, 2023, according to Motorsport.com.
This challenging performance followed a similar pattern at Imola, where Verstappen and Red Bull struggled to address car handling issues between free practice and qualifying, with the Dutch driver barely holding off McLaren’s Lando Norris in the race.
Struggles Continue
Verstappen’s performance at Miami, where Norris secured the win, and Melbourne, also raised eyebrows as Red Bull seemed less comfortable compared to its dominance over the past 18 months.
The Monaco Grand Prix has brought to light a weakness on kerbs and bumps that costs the RB20 more performance than other teams. This issue, largely carried over from last year, has not been fully addressed by Red Bull despite its RB19’s dominance, which compensated for it on almost every circuit except for Singapore.
Verstappen Admits Defeat
“It is a fundamental problem, so it is not something that will be fixed within weeks,” the triple world champion stated.
When questioned by Motorsport.com about whether the issue is an inherent chassis problem that won’t be fixed before 2025, Verstappen replied, “We need to understand what it is, because we clearly don’t understand it. But we will work hard to find the problem and then try to get rid of it. I don’t know if we can do it this year, but hopefully for next year.”
Challenges Ahead
With Ferrari and McLaren now closing the gap, Red Bull will need to improve its performance to maintain its lead. This also means that circuits where Red Bull managed to secure wins last year will now become more challenging, such as Singapore, where Red Bull struggled last year.
The upcoming Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal, featuring a bumpy layout that emphasizes kerb-riding, will be a tough test for the team.
Circuits to Watch
- Singapore
- Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal (bumpy layout)
- Barcelona (fewer bumps, expected to suit Red Bull’s car)
As Verstappen warned, “There definitely are a few tracks on the calendar that are not ideal for us. Any track that is bumpy or you have to ride a lot of kerbs, so the street circuits, will probably be a little bit tricky but hopefully by then we have a little bit of understanding of what is going on.”
However, Verstappen believes that circuits with fewer bumps will still be strong for Red Bull. “There are also some races that will suit our car again more. But we know where we have to work on. There’s one clear direction where I think we’re still lacking quite a bit of performance. So if we can fix that, our car will be better in general on every single track.”
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