RB CEO Peter Bayer has revealed splitting car specifications at this weekend’s Formula 1 Austrian Grand Prix is an “option” as it aims to understand its latest updates.
The Faenza-based squad introduced a sizeable upgrade package in Barcelona last weekend, containing a new engine cover, a tweaked floor and a modified rear wing.
However, RB’s latest developments sparked a sudden regression down the order, which saw both drivers eliminated in Q1 and unable to contest the points in the race.
Daniel Ricciardo, who classified in 15th as the leading RB, was at a loss to explain the lacklustre pace as he expressed his comfort in the VCARB 01 wasn’t hampered.
Bayer has disclosed that the upgrades worked as intended at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, but complications might have arisen from the set-up the team used.
“The data are clear, they show that the upgrade works,” Bayer told the Austrian outlet ORF.
“However, the race engineers explained it to me like this: ‘It’s possible that these upgrades are fooling you’.
“So, you think you’ve found a sweet spot for the car, but it’s not actually where the car tells you it is.
“We let ourselves get a little carried away. We will now analyse that.
“These cars work like a pyramid, you have to find the peak at the top. These [simulation] models can make you believe that you’re at the top, but you’re not.
“It’s like thinking you’re standing on top of the Glockner [Austria’s highest mountain], but in reality you’re standing next to it. That’s how it felt this weekend.”
RB is now in a rush to understand its woes with four races in five weeks, and Bayer has admitted that reverting one car back to the previous spec is being considered.
But with this weekend’s round at the Red Bull Ring comprising one practice hour due to the Sprint format, Bayer has outlined the pressure to come to a quick decision.
“[Going back on specification] is an option, yes,” Bayer added. “Maybe we’ll do that for one of the cars.
“We have to find out very quickly what happened, because Austria will be a Sprint weekend.
“That means we actually have to know in the first practice session what we want to do.
“The pressure is correspondingly high now. Everyone is already working flat out for next weekend.”
