Isack Hadjar and Laurent Mekies have offered a realistic outlook on Red Bull’s Formula 1 future amidst chassis complaints so far this season.
Red Bull has endured a painful start to the season. The team that dominated the last regulation changes now finds itself sixth in the Constructors standings. Importantly, they are unable to compete at the front of the field.
Whilst the team have heard complaints from their drivers, Hadjar suggests there is seemingly no solution in sight. Aston Martin and McLaren’s issues can be attributed to their power units. However, the Milton Keynes squad’s issues lie in their ‘terrible’ chassis.
“The only positive right now is that we can drive the car fast. But we have no lead on how we can make a fast one,” Hadjar revealed.
“We have a good power unit. Engine’s good. It is just the chassis side is terrible, just slow in the corners.”
Mekies’ perspective on Red Bull’s progress
Red Bull Team Principal, Mekies, echoed Hadjar’s statements on the handling of the RB-22. He claimed that the start to the season has left the entire team at a loss for how to improve the car, closing the gap to their rivals in front.
Mekies highlighted that following the Australian Grand Prix, the team thought they were a second off Mercedes’ pace. However, with each race that has passed since, the gap has grown, with no solutions in sight.
“The biggest difference in Melbourne was that McLaren looked in reach there, and actually Max came back from P20 to bump into Norris,” Mekies said.
“Then we see that gap largely increasing in China. And you have seen us starting to scratch heads there about car balance and car characteristics.
And then here, also, it didn’t look good at all on Friday, Saturday, and certainly, there is nothing to be happy about today.”
“That’s the reality, and I think it’s a combination of underlying performance and a layer of us not being able to extract enough from the package and to give something Max and Isack can push with… I’m just saying there is something we are wrestling with that car that adds to our underlying lack of performance.”
A disappointing start to the season has ultimately left the team scrambling to fix several issues. Despite this, Mekies has emphasised his full trust in his squad to identify and fix the issue.
“Now, trying to solve this sort of complex issues and trying to understand complex limitations is our core business. So as much as it feels bad when you are at the back of the top teams right now, that’s precisely what the whole company is set up to do, to get to the bottom of complex limitations like that, and bring development that can mitigate them and improve.
“It feels bad now, but I have full confidence that that’s exactly what our team is very good at.”
The Red Bull team will now enjoy a five-week enforced break, during which they will work intensively to solve the issues ahead of F1’s return at the Miami Grand Prix.
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