The Singapore Grand Prix was a challenging weekend for Red Bull Racing, leaving fans and pundits searching for answers. As the team grappled with unexpected difficulties, rumours swirled that the FIA’s technical regulations could be hampering Red Bull’s performance.
However, a conversation between journalist Peter Windsor and legendary designer Adrian Newey offered a different perspective. Newey dispelled the notion that the FIA’s guidelines were to blame and provided valuable insight into the perfect storm that hit Red Bull during the race weekend.
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The challenge of the Marina Bay Street Circuit
The Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore was expected to be a challenging race, but no one expected Red Bull to struggle as much as they did.
Max Verstappen, the team’s star driver, had hoped to be competitive, but there were signs of trouble as early as Friday’s practice sessions. The team’s woes reached their nadir in qualifying, with Verstappen finishing eleventh and team-mate Sergio Pérez thirteenth. While the race saw an improvement in the car’s balance, it failed to deliver the breathtaking overtaking spectacle that fans had been expecting.
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The FIA Technical Regulations: A misdirection
Amidst Red Bull’s struggles, some speculated that the FIA’s new technical regulations introduced in Singapore could be the culprit. However, Peter Windsor has taken to his YouTube channel to reveal a conversation with Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s renowned designer, which puts paid to this theory.
Newey emphatically denied any link between the technical regulations and the team’s performance problems.
“I spoke to Adrian Newey before the race and asked him if the technical guidelines had anything to do with it.” says Windsor,
“He looked at me like I was crazy and said, no, it has nothing to do with that. We just had a perfect storm of everything going wrong in one weekend.”
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Red Bull’s self-inflicted wounds
Team Principal Christian Horner admitted that Red Bull made several mistakes throughout the weekend. It all started with a miscalculation in the simulator, which set off a chain of errors. Windsor suggested that one of those errors may have been in the car’s ride height, which led to problems in the transition from the simulator to the track.
Newey, in particular, drew attention to the role of humidity in their struggles. The intricacies of this relationship were not fully disclosed, but it added a layer of complexity to the team’s performance problems. Windsor found Newey’s insights into humidity particularly intriguing.
“What he probably means is that Red Bull drove with the wrong ride height,” said Windsor,
“The transition from the simulator to the track wasn’t seamless. Newey said: ‘We think it has to do with the humidity…’ I found that very interesting to hear.”
Verstappen’s remarkable race
Despite the team’s problems, Max Verstappen’s second stint of the race was a highlight. He managed to close a significant gap on the leaders, making up almost twenty seconds. His skilful overtaking manoeuvres, including a pass on Kevin Magnussen, demonstrated his exceptional racing ability. While the race was undoubtedly challenging for Verstappen, it provided an adrenaline-fuelled spectacle for the fans.
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Red Bull Racing’s difficulties in Singapore may have raised questions, but insights from Adrian Newey suggest that external factors, such as the FIA’s technical guidelines, were not to blame.
Instead, the team faced a confluence of problems that culminated in a difficult weekend. Despite the setbacks, Max Verstappen’s remarkable performance in the race demonstrated his unwavering determination and skill.
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"Formula 1 at its absolute finest" 🍿
Yep 🤯#F1 #SingaporeGP pic.twitter.com/fLmBW370zm
— Formula 1 (@F1) September 17, 2023
Soooo…. because Daniel wasnt there to do the sim runs? :p
Nah, both championships are in the bag. More time and resources to do the same next year, only better.