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Verstappen Frustrated with Red Bull’s RB20 Development: “We Made Its Handling Worse”

Red Bull Racing is facing a critical juncture as they head into an intensive review following a disappointing performance at the Dutch Grand Prix in Zandvoort. Max Verstappen, the reigning world champion, has voiced concerns over the RB20’s development, suggesting that recent changes have negatively impacted the car’s handling. As the team prepares for the upcoming races, the focus will be on identifying what went wrong and how to rectify it before their championship hopes slip further.

When the 2024 Formula 1 season kicked off, Red Bull appeared poised to dominate both the Constructors’ and Drivers’ Championships. However, following the summer break, the landscape has changed dramatically. Red Bull’s once formidable RB20 now struggles with handling issues that have left Verstappen and his team puzzled. The Dutchman has pointed out that a mysterious development flaw has crept into the car, severely compromising its balance and overall speed.

Verstappen’s concerns center around the RB20’s growing tendency towards understeer, a handling characteristic that limits the front tires’ grip and makes it difficult for the car to turn effectively. This issue has emerged as a major hindrance, affecting both qualifying performance and race pace. Verstappen, known for his ability to manage an oversteering car with finesse, finds himself handicapped by the RB20’s current setup. “If the car is fast but oversteers, I can keep it under control,” Verstappen explained. “But with understeer, you just wait and wait and wait until it finally turns.”

Verstappen’s frustrations were evident throughout the Zandvoort weekend. Despite the team’s best efforts, the balance issues persisted from the first practice session through to the race. “It’s hard to pinpoint where it’s coming from at the moment, but it hurts our speed for one lap, but also in long stints,” Verstappen lamented. The defending champion described the car’s behavior as deteriorating steadily, attributing the problem to a “bad gene” that has somehow been introduced into the RB20’s design.

The Zandvoort race highlighted these challenges, with Lando Norris and McLaren emerging as unexpected threats. Norris, driving with confidence and precision, outpaced Verstappen in a way few would have predicted earlier in the season. Red Bull’s strategy to counter McLaren’s pace involved fitting Verstappen’s RB20 with the largest rear wing available, similar to the one used in Monaco. The goal was to improve tire degradation and grip, but the larger wing compromised straight-line speed without delivering the expected benefits in tire management.

Compounding the RB20’s handling woes, Verstappen was forced to use an older floor specification for the race, a component believed to have cost him around 0.2 seconds per lap compared to his teammate, Sergio Pérez. Formula 1 analyst Mark Hughes noted that the real deficit could have been even greater, given the car’s poor setup. The unbalanced car was visibly understeering, a clear sign that something was fundamentally wrong with its configuration.

“Something has gone wrong with the car lately. We need to understand it, we need to improve it quickly,” Verstappen urged, emphasizing the urgency of the situation. He described the car’s balance as if “the front part was not even connected to the rear,” highlighting the disconnection between the RB20’s components that is hampering its performance.

Red Bull’s belief that a strong start would allow Verstappen to leapfrog Norris and potentially win the race was quickly dashed. Despite their best efforts, the car’s handling issues left Verstappen unable to mount a serious challenge. “I went to my races, I took care of the tires, I did what I could. However, from a certain point, the car did not turn at all and did not respond,” Verstappen reflected. After being overtaken by Norris, he was forced to focus on maintaining his position and salvaging second place.

As Red Bull prepares for the upcoming race in Monza, the team faces a daunting task. They must compare the weekend data between Verstappen and Pérez to identify any discrepancies and work towards resolving the RB20’s handling issues. While Verstappen is expected to regain some time with a return to the new floor, there is a growing concern that even this improvement may not be enough to challenge McLaren’s current pace.

The situation at Red Bull is a stark reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in Formula 1. With the championship still within reach, the team must act swiftly to rectify the RB20’s problems and return to the dominant form they displayed at the start of the season.