RB boss Laurent Mekies has disclosed the team has now reversed “most” oi the Formula 1 upgrades it introduced in Barcelona which ended up making its car slower.
The Faenza-based squad was on a five-race points run and emerging as the established fifth-fastest team when it brought a comprehensive update package to Spain.
But the modified parts resigned both drivers to Q1 exits, prompting RB to run assorted parts between the cars across what became an experimental Austria weekend.
Although Daniel Ricciardo bagged points at the Red Bull Ring and Yuki Tsunoda was 10th in Britain, RB capitalised on incidents ahead as its dwindling pace remained.
The RB pairing converged on car specification at Silverstone, as Mekies divulged that the predominant bulk of its most recent developments has now been discarded.
“The big picture is that we had to reverse most of the Barcelona upgrade. Not all of it, but most of it, and unavoidably it cost us performance,” Mekies told Autosport.
“We were hoping to add performance compared to where we were in Canada and Monaco, and instead of that we have to backtrack.
“We certainly understand why we didn’t go faster with it. There is some question over why it actually made us slower, because we think that’s what it did.
“The beauty of these cars is that they are extremely complex. It’s all down to the very last details and second order of things, stuff that we weren’t looking at a few years ago.
“I would say we have a fairly clear idea of what we want for the next package. Are we 100% sure? No, absolutely not. It’s a work in progress. It will take us some time.”
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Like Ferrari with its SF-24 charger, RB’s woes have been amplified as reverting to an older package has come at a time when the competition is making its own gains.
Mekies has conceded RB will continue to be on the back foot in the upcoming events as it strives to ensure that a repeat situation doesn’t occur with its next updates.
“The company is flat out to try to make sure we get another update soon,” Mekies explained.
“It won’t be tomorrow morning, so we probably have to resist another three, four or five races.
“In our case, when you don’t hit success with one upgrade, it’s not only a matter to say: ‘OK, when is the next one?’
“You have to first understand what went wrong, so it’s a double negative effect.
“Not only did you not pocket the advantage you wanted, but you also have to delay the next one until you actually understand what’s going on.
“While we are waiting for that, the team is going to be still exploring how to extract more from the car.
“There are still some balance characteristics that we are not completely happy with and we are confident that there is more time to be gained.”
The Italian outfit endured a tumultuous opening to the previous campaign that was overcome when revisions in Singapore led to a revival through the closing rounds.
Mekies has adopted a calm approach to the matter, citing that RB will utilise this recent experience to become an even more refined operation in the coming seasons.
“Of course, it’s a step back, but it’s a necessary step back. We have been extremely aggressive with development of the car since the beginning of the season,” he added.
“That’s why we managed to make the progress we made, so if you run fast, sometimes you need to accept to fall.
“It’s something that will help us build a better foundation in the team to fundamentally be stronger with our development.”
Mekies has acknowledged that the hitch has meant RB has given up chasing down Aston Martin and is instead looking over its shoulder at the teams placed behind.
Haas implemented parts in Britain that have delivered a noticeable step in high-speed performance as Nico Hulkenberg replicated his sixth-place result from Austria.
“We are certainly in that fight for P6,” Mekies accepted. “[The downgrade] may hurt, as we have seen how Haas has continued to perform.
“You have seen Alpine going up and down, ourselves going up and down. And in the final stint [in Silverstone] Alex Albon just drove by us.
“It’s very, very tight with Haas and probably will be tight with Alpine and Williams later on in the year, but it’s part of the game and we’ll be fighting back later on.
“Every race weekend there are still swings in performance, which means that you can still nail a weekend better than the other teams.”
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