Red Bull says it will bring as many new updates as it can to early races after asserting “our destiny is in our control” in this year’s Formula 1 season.
Red Bull claimed pole position in Bahrain – its first at a season-opener since 2013 – and only narrowly missed out on victory to Mercedes.
It marked Red Bull’s strongest start to a season in the hybrid era and the team is aware it cannot let up in its development push.
“We have some developments in the pipeline for Imola, more for subsequent races,” explained Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan. “It’s now a two-pronged fight.
“We need to put this car down on the ground and run and give us no hiccups. We will put as much performance onto the car as we possibly can and by Imola.
“Our destiny is in our control and we can’t influence what Mercedes and McLaren, Ferrari and everybody else wants to do. We’ve got to remain focused.
“We’ve identified some areas where the car can be improved and we concentrate on those.
“We can’t influence what the others do, so we’ve got to develop it, we’ve got to make it bulletproof and we’ve got to give Max and Checo [Perez] a car they can drive as quickly as possible at Imola and Portugal and Spain and Monaco and wherever else we go.
“It’s going to be a long fight for a long season and it’s not won and lost here. There’s a sense of disappointment in the garage which is felt by all, but we have a quick car.
“Everybody is aware that we are going to be challenging all the way through.”
Monaghan added that the strong start to a season has given Red Bull a sense of excitement that it can dethrone Mercedes.
“The prize at the end of the year is very much within the grasp, at the moment, of ourselves and Mercedes,” he said.
“We’ve got a fast car and we’ve just got to pick ourselves up from this one. We got second place and we were fighting for the victory. It’s not as if we’ve been left behind.
“Everyone is motivated and there’s a championship to win, so let’s get on with it.”
