Austrian Grand Prix: Red Bull Faces Key Test With Major Home Upgrade
The four time world champion Max Verstappen views current Red Bull station as challenging, citing lack of pace and excessive understeer compared to Mercedes, Ferrari and Mclaren.
It’s race week again, and this time Formula One is heading into the beautiful Spielberg in Austria! The eighth round of the season is about to take place in the historic Red Bull Ring, which is a stunning race track, draped on the side of a serene hill in the Styrian Alps. Although Europe is experiencing soaring temperatures with a record-breaking 40 degrees Celsius, the race still offers a picturesque experience for the spectators. Austria’s National Weather Service has indicated that temperatures could reach 35 degrees Celsius, creating the possibility of it being the hottest race of the season so far.
Racing News 365’s weather partners issued an orange heat warning for the Red Bull Ring. New power units will be put to the test in addition to the demands posed by the circuit’s elevation changes.
The Indian timings of the race are scheduled as:
Free Practice 1 - 5:00 PM on Friday
Free Practice 2 - 8:30 PM on Friday
Free Practice 3 - 4:00 PM on Saturday
Qualifying - 7:30 PM on Saturday
Race Day - 6:30 PM on Sunday
The major focus is on the Red Bull racing team as they head for their home race. The track offers a thrilling race with its uphill braking zones at the end of long straights, encouraging moves into a number of corners. The short nature of the track gives little opportunity to break away from the car behind before there is a chance for them to come back at you. Red Bull comes this weekend with its biggest car upgrade package since the Miami Grand Prix.
The upgrades include more aerodynamic revisions in the chase for more downforce. It also addresses season-long weight issues to get the RB22 towards the minimum 768kg limit. The car will have a new lighter floor, revised side pods with an updated rear wing to improve corner responsiveness. No engine upgrades under the FIA’s ADUO (Add development and upgrade opportunities) as the Red Bull Ford power unit is currently classified as the performance benchmark. Laurent Mekies, Red Bull team Principal, in an interview with Planet F1, expressed doubt and said: “Only lap time will answer your questions really”.
The four-time world champion Max Verstappen views the current Red Bull station as challenging, citing a lack of pace and excessive understeer compared to Mercedes, Ferrari, and McLaren. While speaking to Sky Sports, he stressed that the current package is simply too slow on certain track layouts, forcing him to overdrive. He added that excessive amounts of understeer during both short and long runs, hurting corner speeds, and the car is lagging behind rivals when it comes to preserving rubber on high-energy circuits.
Mercedes has been the biggest talk of the season so far as both drivers' and constructors' championship contenders. The biggest question remains which teammate will use the opportunity to the fullest, even though the teenage sensation Kimi Antonelli holds a 41-point advantage over Ferrari’s Lewis Hamilton with George Russell trailing 9 points behind in third.
Mercedes team Principal, Toto Wolff, said that the team will discuss how Antonelli and Russell race each other going forward due to a possible championship threat from Lewis Hamilton. On his driver's mid-race scrap in Barcelona, Wolff said: “We did not interfere in them fighting because that’s how we have always raced”. He further mentioned that it’s a situation where they need to look into the future for both drivers: how to handle a situation where there is a pace differential fighting for a victory, or they risk losing a victory. He concluded by saying, “And that’s going to be an interesting discussion, but always totally transparent to the best interest of the team”.
The eight-time world champion has shown some positivity, followed by his first victory as a Ferrari driver in Barcelona. “We know we have the power deficit, and there’s going to be tracks where we go to with long straights that makes it even harder. But we have got a great car at the core and if we keep adding performance and go through the corners quicker, maybe we can narrow that deficit down a little bit until we improve or until we lose the gap on power”. When asked about his championship chances he said that nothing is impossible regarding an eight world title, but stressed that Ferrari must take it “One race at a time” and focus on making consistent improvements rather than looking too far ahead in the championship.
The defending champions, McLaren, have shown a little improvement in Barcelona, and the tech director, Neil Houldey, has said that they are optimistic for the fight at the front. “We are always looking to make refinements that add performance and lap time to the car. For this event, we have focused on minor detail updates around the car’s rear corners as well as an experimental rear wing that will run throughout Friday sessions”. He also added that they are prepared for the possibility of wet weather, which would be their first time running the car in those conditions this season. It presents a steep learning curve, especially with changes to energy management and power delivery in the wet, but it is an opportunity they will embrace to optimise every aspect of the car and maximise performance in all conditions.
This article is written by M Radha Pallavi, a student of AP Central University, interning with Deccan Chronicle.
