Red Bull team principal Christian Horner is encouraged by the progress the team has made in improving the performance of its car in recent races.
However he says some of the problems they’ve identified in their RB16 won’t be addressed until its ‘b-spec’ replacement arrives next year.“Generally we have looked a bit more competitive this weekend,” said Horner. “I think particularly sector one we looked all weekend like we had the upper hand.
“Sector three was our weakest sector in comparison to Mercedes. But I think generally it’s been a strong weekend for us. I think we have made progress, so that’s definitely encouraging.”
Red Bull lapped within two-tenths of a second of Mercedes at the Nurburgring, which is the closest any team has got to the dominant W11s all year.
Horner hopes that will give them a chance to rival Mercedes at some of the unfamiliar venues F1 will visit over the final six races of the year.
“It felt like were a step closer today,” he said after the race. “There were areas of the circuit here we were equal to or better than the Mercedes. Turn 13, 14 seemed to be our weak spots in comparison to them at this circuit.
“So let’s see: We’ve got Portimao, we’ve got Istanbul, we’ve got Imola, they’re all circuits that will be quite interesting for us.
“We’re keen to finish the season on a positive momentum having sort of understood quite a few of the issues that we’ve had with RB16 so that’s addressed going into RB16B.”
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2020 F1 season
- Pictures: Wrecked chassis from Grosjean’s Bahrain fireball crash to go on display
- Bottas vs Rosberg: Hamilton’s Mercedes team mates compared after 78 races each
- F1 revenues fell by $877 million in Covid-struck 2020 season
- Hamilton and Mercedes finally announce new deal for 2021 season
- F1 audience figures “strong” in 2020 despite dip in television viewers
Kingshark (@kingshark)
14th October 2020, 8:21
Next year is our year
GeeMac (@geemac)
14th October 2020, 9:25
…says every team on the grid.
Jeanrien (@jeanrien)
14th October 2020, 11:09
… except Mercedes which are not sure if they can stay in front of Williams with all teams improving so much.
GeeMac (@geemac)
14th October 2020, 12:27
Haha, indeed.
Mayrton
14th October 2020, 13:22
Like every year for the last 5 years…. I would say expectations are against you Christian. We’ve heard it many times before. But keep fighting please. Someone needs to stop this ridiculous Mercedes borefest
SadF1fan
14th October 2020, 8:36
Every year it is the same story.
Newey is now really focused,
We prepped for the start of the season,
The engine made massive steps forward,
By winter testing 1 second behind Merc,
Halfway down the season finally catching up a bit,
By the time they have caught up Merc is champion.
Repeat!
Patrick (@paeschli)
14th October 2020, 8:50
At least they are consistently close. You can’t say the same about Ferrari.
Given their car is usually strong by the end of the year, and next year is gonna be a B version, I’m quite confident. Mercedes is still probably gonna wrap both championships though.
Rob (@dprince)
14th October 2020, 9:32
You can say the same about Ferrari. Their results in the hybrid era are basically the same as Red Bull’s, 17 wins for Ferrari vs. 16 for Red Bull. It’ll be 4-3 for Ferrari at the end of the year in terms of WCC ranking so they are actually slightly better than Red Bull in this era, with both of them having good and bad years.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
14th October 2020, 10:17
Ouch how much facts hurt some narratives.
Patrick (@paeschli)
14th October 2020, 14:38
@jureo Red Bull has never been as much off the pace as Ferrari this year. @jureo
Also arguably it will be 4-4 at the end of 2021 and Red Bull will have more wins than Ferrari when the current formula ends.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
14th October 2020, 22:28
@paeschli those are also facts that hurt naritives.
It is expected for Ferrari to fail miserably now and then. Especially since they were competitive due to bending the rules. Sometimes bends snap back.
But other than that they were quite equal. Red Bull always seems to have a better chassis though, and when engine situation resolves itself….
MacLeod (@macleod)
14th October 2020, 12:59
Newey wasn’t really on the job as he was playing with his Valkiery. But i think he would love the groundeffect rules for 2022.
Mayrton
14th October 2020, 13:24
I’ve lost faith in Newey. Hope he proves me wrong.
NS Biker (@rekibsn)
14th October 2020, 15:59
In a recent interview, Newey was voicing a concern (translation, complaining) that the new rules were so restrictive that there was no room for design beyond what is in the rules.
With the push for more “spec” and common parts, my fear is it is only going to get worse.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
14th October 2020, 22:29
Well, except making great chassis year after year, what else is Newey to do?
baasbas
14th October 2020, 8:43
That is great news! I guess he is now hoping for an article where Toto tells us Mercedes will sit on its hands throughout the winter
ruliemaulana (@ruliemaulana)
14th October 2020, 9:05
Honda: We will produce a new engine for the 2021 to win the championship.
Red Bull: 2021 will just be a b-spec of current engine.
marcel
14th October 2020, 10:18
The car will be a B-spec. Like every other car on the grid (they are not allowed to build a new chassis for next year). I don’t read anything about the engine in this article……
BOSS
14th October 2020, 9:18
A PR stint to appease the sponsors.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
14th October 2020, 10:18
I hope they introduce Hulkenberg fix, for speed issues on the second car.
NewVerstappenFan (@jureo)
14th October 2020, 10:37
https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/red-bull-hulkenberg-2021-seat/4891277/?ic_source=home-page-widget&ic_medium=widget&ic_campaign=widget-1
Alan Mowbray
14th October 2020, 16:01
Yes yes yes! To paraphrase Sergio, Perez not getting the seat won’t be a case of; ‘lack of talent’, more a case of ‘lack of intelligence’.
Words he used with reference to the Ocon crash. Not sure many remember that quote but it stuck out in my mind as a bit arrogant and harsh on Estaban.
David townrow (@racingdave)
14th October 2020, 10:13
The Redbull can only be a rehashed version of this years model. It’s not like the reg changes justify a clean sheet redesign.
The only thing that needs that is so someone else can drive the car and help bring home constructors points.
I also wonder even if offered Hulk would want a RB drive. If he does as badly as Albon he will destroyed along with his career! (Not that he has one in f1)
I bet the new 2022 design will follow Mercs more level less rake driver friendly design. As Newy gets on I think he might take mercs approach of gathering up all the marginal gains instead of trying to create a magic bullet!
Zann (@zann)
14th October 2020, 10:39
The thing is, it seems to me, that their problem is the car being snappy and prone to losing its airflows at the back, and next year it’s the back end that’s losing downforce, with the floor being cut away and losing slots. So they’re all going to have to rebalance their cars, but Red Bull are starting from behind already, with a car that’s so pointy only Max can drive it.
I mean it is a very good car, but the changes for next year look like the worst thing for it.
Ruben
14th October 2020, 11:20
I don’t get the feeling that any team on the grid has enough confidence to beat Mercedes – the kind of confidence you’ll build after being unbeatable throughout the weekend and then again the weekend afterwards, on a different circuit. The kind of confidence Renault suddenly seemed to have found after discovering the ‘sweet spot’ in setting up their car, but then on a higher level. It’s all “we’ll try our best and see if it works” and then sometime it doesn’t, but many other times it doesn’t – kinda what Bottas needs to beat Hamilton, too.
Rodber
14th October 2020, 11:24
So, Albon is out?
F1oSaurus (@)
14th October 2020, 11:26
They had an amazing car at the winter tests. According to themselves they made the most progress ever last winter.
It’s time they find a driver that can actually make it work for them and help them develop that car properly. Get Ricciardo back and we can finally have a battle for the championship again.
Mayrton
14th October 2020, 13:29
They’ll take Hulk.
erikje
14th October 2020, 14:44
(@f1osaurus)
And still on repeat I see with your own version of reality.
Still ignoring the fact that “people who know” agree the technical input by max is more then excellent.
But he, why facts if fiction is more entertaining
Gigantor (@kbdavies)
14th October 2020, 22:53
Please put a single quote here from anyone about Max Verstappen’s excellent technical input. I would like to read it.
Stephen Higgins
14th October 2020, 11:33
Any one else here rather excited about the return of fully-fledged B-spec cars ?? I don’t think we’ve seen them in the F1 since the 90’s ??
marcel
14th October 2020, 12:53
Force india VJM08B, Marussia MR03B, Toro Rosso STR2B, Spyker F8-VIIB, Toyota TF106B, Minardi PS04B, Ferrari F2004M, Jaguar R5B, McLaren MP4-19B, Toyota TF104B, Ferrari F2002B, Renault R23B, Jaguar R3B, Minardi PS01B, Jordan EJ10B.
These are the B specs I know of since 2000.
anon
14th October 2020, 20:57
Stephen Higgins, what’s so exciting about it? I don’t see what’s so special about a particular model designation.
Furthermore, as marcel notes, there have been quite a lot of cars that have been officially designated as B-spec cars – the most recent of those being the 2015 Force India VJM08B, so it’s not even that long ago since the last car of that designation.
DaveW (@dmw)
14th October 2020, 16:03
No comment from Horner about exorcising the issue that seems to completely flummox anyone but Max. I hope that one day Albon and Gasly can speak freely about what they experience in that car and about what Verstappen does with it.
Robbie (@robbie)
14th October 2020, 21:55
@dmw He may not have commented on that here, but he has recently, for example during Sky coverage of the last race or two. He has said, and this goes back to pre-season as well, that the back end is nervous or twitchy and that is what catches AA out and Max less so. That it catches Max out less so for whatever reason does not automatically mean he is entirely happy and would not want to see the issue improved, and it sounds to me like that won’t really happen until the B car comes out. Sounds like they know what the problem is, and perhaps exactly what they have to do, but they just can’t affect the change until the off-season as it is more involved than can be accomplished with in-season upgrades.
AA and PG have spoken freely about their issues. Likely Max and his side of the garage have tried to help with suggestions too, as they all work collectively to try to progress. You needn’t make it sound like Max is privy to secrets that amount to unfair treatment towards the drivers you are implying are gagged from revealing some skewing towards him. They do skew towards him in a natural way because he is special, just as so many teams have done currently and in the past with their top/senior driver. That does not automatically mean they intentionally hobble their teammates. I think the vast majority of the time the whole team are trying to help as it is incumbent upon them to be team players and contribute, especially when it is a relative rookie in the other seat whose trying to find answers.
DB-C90 (@dbradock)
15th October 2020, 0:56
There seems to have been a bit of a common thread with RBR for the last few seasons where their chassis isn’t quite in the window at the start of the season, in fact for a few its been way way outside of it, leaving them to play catch up.
Starting a season with a “we’ll have it sorted by the start of the European season” and then actually failing to do that and not really sort it out until about mid season is no way to beat the Mercedes chassis that seems to have started the past 7 seasons in a much better place.
I’m assuming that a lot of this has been driven by their need to come up with something unique enough to counter the obvious PU superiority that Mercedes enjoys, or at least had been until Honda, but they’ve been losing to much at the start of a season to hope to challenge Mercedes.
Hopefully with the heavy restrictions on development for next year, they’ll have their baseline much closer to a competitive and stable chassis by the end of this year and can carry that through. The “forced” changes that have been introduced to lessen the impact on rear tyres isn’t helpful but here’s hoping it doesn’t completely wreck any work done in the second half of the year to solve this years issues on the RBR chassis.
Robbie (@robbie)
15th October 2020, 14:29
@dbradock Fair comment, and let’s keep in mind that the hybrid formula has been one where a team must be a works factory team in order to marry the complex pus to the chassis. Only Mercedes has managed it the whole time. The only other works team from 2014 Ferrari hasn’t managed to do it. Renault were not a works team in 2014 and were lagging with their pu.
So wrt RBR, I think they have done extremely well given that they have not been a works team ever, and they have had as much success as Ferrari in this hybrid era, and have won races as a customer of Renault’s and a quasi-works team with Honda, albeit for only 3 seasons. No wonder Mercedes nor Ferrari would never supply such a threat. But yeah, not being a works team since 2014 has caused them to think outside the box no doubt.