Max Verstappen has revealed he discovered a contrast in car balance with Red Bull’s 2024 Formula 1 car compared to its predecessor even during his dominant start.
Verstappen’s commanding 22-second winning margin at the season-opening race in Bahrain brought worldwide groans as Red Bull appeared untouchable once more.
The Dutchman would continue to rack up the victories in the subsequent rounds, triumphing six more times over the next nine races to open up a sizeable points lead.
But in an unanticipated turn of events, Verstappen has not stood on the podium’s top step in the last eight events as Red Bull has experienced an alarming regression.
Red Bull’s troubles reached a nadir at Monza as Verstappen, who trailed home sixth in that Grand Prix, bemoaned that its 2024 challenger had turned into a “monster”.
However, Verstappen has divulged that he spotted a negative trait in the car’s behaviour which the RB20’s initial pace advantage over the competition helped to mask.
“Early on I realised that the feeling was very different from last year’s car in terms of balance,” Verstappen, who won 19 times in 22 races in 2023, told Motorsport.com.
“At that time our car was still a lot quicker than the others, or maybe I should say that the others were not so good back then, so at that stage we could still compensate for our difficulties.
“In the races after that it got worse and worse. At one point our car was just very difficult to drive and at the same time the others made real progress.”
Verstappen admitted that getting accustomed to Red Bull’s woes was hard, but he has since accepted the realisation that it took the incorrect path with development.
“In the beginning I was surprised as well, but if you look at what our problems were, then I fully understand it,” he explained.
“At some point, we have gone in the wrong direction.
“The other teams have either not faced that particular point yet or they developed the car in a slightly different way. That is always difficult to assess.”
Red Bull winter changes not behind F1 slump
Verstappen has denied that the striking changes that Red Bull made to the RB20 over the winter have been the contributing aspects behind the squad’s sharp decline.
“I don’t think you can tell from the outside what went wrong, so that’s not the point,” Verstappen retorted. “What the car looks like on the outside is not the issue.”
This campaign has seen several teams – including Ferrari and Mercedes – endure problems with introducing floor updates that have carried unintended complications.
Verstappen has acknowledged that the cars under the current ground effect regulations have been more susceptible to radical swings compared to previous rulesets.
“It seems trickier than that everyone thinks,” he added.
“At the moment even McLaren is holding back a new floor, which they are not fully sure about. It’s a lot more sensitive with upgrades than under previous regulations.”
Verstappen optimistic on remaining races
Red Bull sustained a gradual upturn prior to the autumn break as Verstappen utilised a “subtle” tweak to the underfloor in Baku to come home in second in Singapore.
Verstappen, who holds a 52-point advantage, is optimistic that Red Bull has begun to turn a corner as it prepares to introduce more parts once the campaign restarts.
“Yes, it felt better,” he disclosed. “That was already a good step for us. I do think we are moving in the right direction now, it will take some time.
“You can’t turn something like this around in one or two weeks. But I do think the team was happy with what they saw in Baku as well.”
But although it might arrive too late to retain the Constructors’ title with McLaren 41 points clear, Verstappen is convinced that Red Bull is back on an ascendant path.
“Yes, I do think so to be honest,” he responded when asked whether Red Bull has overcome its worst run. “Hopefully we can continue to make good steps from here.”
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