Red Bull pinpointed the 2024 F1 race where it was finally able to reverse course on the team's struggles

Red Bull Racing technical director Pierre Wache revealed that the team has made significant progress in addressing the car issues that plagued their 2024 season. He explained that their Austin upgrade package was responsible in resolving many of the correlation problems between wind tunnel data and on-track performance, which had been a persistent challenge.

The RB20’s struggles were partly attributed to these correlation issues, which impacted the car’s balance and operating window. Max Verstappen had voiced concerns about these problems for over a season. Wache admitted that while eliminating the correlation issues initially caused a dip in performance, the team eventually improved their package and development direction.

Wache credited their aerodynamics department with identifying and rectifying the issues, highlighting the team’s success in refining their understanding and resolving the problems that had affected their competitiveness. He reckoned that the Austin update on their car was responsible in reversing some of their issues.

Speaking to the Motorsport Network in an interview, Wache explained how the update in Austin helped in solving some of their problems:

“We modified the floor and could remove some correlation issues. It came with a loss of the overall car potential, but we massively improved the correlation and a lot of balance characteristics. But as I have said before, it is not enough yet. The package did exactly what we wanted. The aero department did a very good job on that.”

He added:

“It means that our understanding of the issues was correct and that we moved into the right direction. It doesn’t mean that we have fixed everything, but at least we have improved the balance characteristics a lot.”

---

Pierre Wache suggests Max Verstappen was key in fixing the balance issues on the RB20

Pierre Wache revealed that Max Verstappen was instrumental in identifying the balance issues on the RB20 during the Italian Grand Prix in Monza. The low-downforce nature of the circuit exposed some of the car’s weaknesses, which Wache described as a positive turning point for Red Bull.

The technical director praised Verstappen’s exceptional talent in pinpointing the car’s shortcomings, allowing the team to effectively address and resolve the issues. Wache credited the Dutchman’s feedback as a key factor in steering the team’s development in the right direction.

Asked about their issues at the Italian GP weekend in Monza, Wache said in the aforementioned interview:

“I think it is clear that when you have a balance issue and start to reduce the downforce, the underlying balance starts to become even more dominant for the lap time and the feeling of the driver. That is especially true for the driver we have in Max. He can filter quite a lot of those balance issues with his talent. It is clear that a low-downforce track reduces the possibility for a driver to filter these balance issues. In some ways that weekend has been very positive for us, because it massively highlighted the problems we had.”

While Red Bull made significant improvements to the RB20, McLaren emerged as the dominant force in 2024, delivering a car with virtually no weaknesses. Despite Red Bull’s efforts to broaden the operating window of their car and resolve key issues, the delay in addressing these problems ultimately cost them the Constructors’ Championship.

With newly promoted Liam Lawson joining the team and the challenge of developing a competitive car for the 2025 season, Red Bull faces a tough task. As the competition on the grid continues to tighten, the Milton Keynes squad will need to raise their game to reclaim their position at the top. The 2025 Red Bull challenger will be the first car to be designed without Adrian Newey’s involvement in the team.