“We still don't understand that”: Red Bull clueless about RB19’s ‘massive’ change in characteristics

Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko recently expressed his concern regarding the minor changes that the team witnessed in the RB19. Since F1 cars are highly technical and sensitive, they can feel drastically different even with the smallest changes. Marko suspects something similar has happened to his team's car.

In a statement to Total Motorsport, Marko explained that Red Bull are clueless about the slight handling change that Max Verstappen experienced during the first practice session at the Bahrain GP. According to him, while the change was also felt by other teams, it was not as significant as what they experienced.

Marko said:

"The chassis that we have has a lot of potential. But you could still see that the car had changed a lot from testing to the first race without us changing anything. We don't know why, we still don't understand it to this day. So we have to find out what happened there.

"It happened to other teams too, but it was massive for us. There was nothing, no upgrades or anything else, everything was still the same. It shows how fragile the whole thing with the new tires is when one of the parameters isn't quite where it should be."

Nonetheless, Marko was not too concerned about the issue. He mentioned how Red Bull have some of the best technicians and engineers working on the RB19. They will most likely find a proper solution or explanation for the changes.

He added:

"But fortunately we have a very experienced group of technicians, most of whom have been with us for 15 years. And the experience and know-how of our drivers is also very helpful. Both are very experienced and give detailed information, which makes it easier makes things clear when you have problems."

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Red Bull champion Max Verstappen believes Aston Martin could win a few races in 2023

Red Bull driver Max Verstappen believes Aston Martin could win a few races in 2023 if other top teams stumble.

After the Bahrain GP, the Dutchman praised Fernando Alonso and Aston Martin for finishing on the podium. He mentioned how they have dedicated and passionate team members who are hungry for wins, saying:

"I hope so for Fernando because he has had a few years where there was not really a possibility to fight at the front so I'm happy to see him sitting here already in race one. At Aston Martin, they really have the spirit and drive, they want to win and they've hired a lot of good people.

"So I guess it can only get better for them. And I think for this year, it's difficult to say if they're going to challenge for the championship, but race wins are definitely on the table."

It is clear that Aston Martin will be one of the new top teams in the 2023 F1 season. They will fight Ferrari and Mercedes to close the gap on Red Bull.