Red Bull Motorsports
F1
How Miami changed the picture for Red Bull heading into Canada
Miami brought updates. Canada is the next test. Here’s what changed at Oracle Red Bull Racing, and what it means on track in Montreal.
Part of this story
The Miami Grand Prix was the most positive weekend of the Formula One season so far for Oracle Red Bull Racing. A significant upgrade package for both cars helped performance drastically, propelling Max Verstappen to the front row of the grid in Qualifying. Now, the team heads to Canada, hoping that another batch of upgrades will help them push on further.
This season has been challenging for Verstappen, Isaac Hadjar and the Red Bull team so far. Before the unexpected early-season break, a sixth-place finish for Verstappen in Australia and an eighth-place finish in Japan were lower than anticipated. Work was ongoing on upgrades for both cars, in the hope they’d make both drivers feel more comfortable in the new generation of power units.
Max Verstappen finished fifth and won the Driver of the Day vote in Miami
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Going into Miami, an upgrade package arrived, and it led to more promising results on track. While Verstappen finished fifth in Sunday’s race, his pace was better across the entire weekend. He set the second fastest time in Qualifying, putting the Red Bull car on the front row of the grid for the big race.
What changed for Red Bull in Miami?
Ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix, Red Bull’s Technical Director, Pierre Wache, said on redbullracing.com: “Miami saw us take a clear step forward, with the upgrade package delivering encouraging gains in performance and helping address some key areas on the car. It highlighted some car weaknesses and room for improvement to extract the overall performance.”
From here, there’s light at the end of the tunnel
With lower than anticipated finishing places in the first few races, as well as underwhelming performances in Qualifying, upgrades have come at the right time. Following the car changes in Miami and the improved performance, both drivers were very positive.
Verstappen said, “From here, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, that we can just push on and try to close the gap further. I feel more comfortable in the car again, and then I can push a bit more, then the upgrades are working.”
Verstappen is finally settling into the car
The Dutchman has won three of the last four Canadian Grand Prix races, so he knows how to win on the track. Now that he’s more comfortable in the car, he'll feel that his chances of winning in Canada and beyond have improved.
The team will be looking to close the gap to the Mercedes drivers in the standings, which has grown in the season’s first few weeks. Verstappen is 74 points off the top spot in the standings, but there are plenty more races this season to reduce that gap.
Technical Director Pierre Wache will be keeping an eye on things in Canada
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
It has been a positive boost for the team to see the progress translating on track after a lot of hard work behind the scenes
Wache also revealed that another small upgrade package will be implemented for the Canadian GP. He said: “Canada will be another good test of the package alongside some minor updates this weekend. It has been a positive boost for the team to see the progress translating on track after a lot of hard work behind the scenes, and we expect car development to be made as we head into the European races.”
Isaac Hadjar is excited for what Canada will bring, too. He said, “Ever since Miami, I've been raring to get back into the car and go racing again. The team delivered a much stronger package after the break and we want to continue with that progress going into Montreal.”
Isack Hadjar was all smiles in Miami
© Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool
Still room for improvement
However, while Verstappen is upbeat about the changes and how the car feels, he believes there’s still room for improvement. “I think we’re still not where we want to be in terms of understanding everything, but most of it,” he said. The technical team will be consistently working behind the scenes to make the car as good as it can be for the remainder of the season, as the team seeks to rediscover the winning formula.
Following the improved results in Miami, the impact of the upgrade package there, and the minor changes for Canada, confidence will be high going into the next part of the season.
Part of this story
