Monaco Grand Prix: Red Bull preview

The Red Bulls haven’t had the best of seasons to start with. Sebastian Vettel has stepped on the podium only thrice and Mark Webber has done so just once. This is probably not what the Austrian team expected but they’ve got Adrian Newey on board. However, he’s built a reputation around him which basically is him having a poster pinned to the back of his shirt saying ‘never say never’.

Last year, Mark Webber pipped Mercedes to take this race. Sebastian Vettel has won this legendary race only once and he’ll be hoping to add another one of these trophies to his ever growing cabinet.

On the contrary, Mark Webber has won this race twice. He inherited pole position last year from Michael Schumacher, who was given a three-place grid penalty. The Australian led from start to finish but looked nervous towards the end with Nico Rosberg breathing down his neck. The Mercedes was clearly faster and better on the tires but since the barricades stuff the drivers in, there aren’t many overtaking opportunities which meant that Rosberg was a sitting duck.

Red Bull failed to capitalize on their lead in Spain. Ferrari and Lotus brought in new upgrades but the defending champions didn’t strengthen enough to keep up to the competition. Ferrari and Lotus looked clearly superior, in terms of speed and grip in Spain.

This season, Red Bull have had a setup that favors the Pirellis. The quick degradation of the tires has not been much of a problem for the Bulls. Now that Pirelli have announced the new tires, the Red Bulls will surely improve in all forms of the sport meaning a challenge for the top places will surely be on the cards.

Their main competitor at the top of the table will definitely be Mercedes. The Silver Arrows have somehow excelled in low temperature races and considering Monaco is one such event, the Red Bulls will have to be wary. The only way they can beat the Germans is through the pit stops and a strong qualifying, although that is tough considering the record of the Mercedes: three successive pole positions in the last three races.

Last year, Red Bull might have won with Webber but they knew that they only won because of the track. Rosberg was at the peak of his game and Michael Schumacher showed what he could do when given a chance, sadly, this was taken away due to his retirement from the race.

Mercedes have gotten even stronger this year and Red Bulls know it. If they have to win, they’ll have to put in a strong qualifying performance and nothing else.