The reason why Red Bull and Max Verstappen couldn't win races for so long

Finally wins
Fearless determination
Dominant
2024 would be the same
Turn for the worst
Failing upgrades
Difficult to get the car right
The wind tunnel
What is the wind tunnel?
Tech-based sport
Plans for a new one
Not anticipated
“Not particularly efficient”
McLaren
Progress
A coincidence?
Finally wins

Max Verstappen performed the drive of his life at the Brazilian Grand Prix after remarkably coming back from P17 to win and all but confirm his fourth Formula One title.

Fearless determination

The flying Dutchman moved through the field with fearless determination in the treacherous rainy conditions to secure his first win in 11 races and leaving Lando Norris with a mountain to climb in the final three Grand Prix.

"Never thought I would win"

According to The Guardian, Verstappen said: "I never thought I would win today. I had a feeling I could come forward. I am incredibly pleased with this result, an unbelievable race for us."

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Dominant

The 2023 Formula One season was Red Bull's most dominant year ever. Red Bull won 21 of a potential 22 races, and Max Verstappen was crowned champion for a third successive year.

2024 would be the same

Most Formula One fans believed the 2024 season would be a replica of the 2023 season, and until race ten, it seemed that way, with Verstappen winning seven of the first ten races.

Turn for the worst

However, since race ten of the F1 season in Spain, Red Bull's results have taken a turn for the worse, with Verstappen going winless in ten before the Grand Prix in Sao Paolo.

 

Failing upgrades

Red Bull has been struggling with its car's performance, and multiple upgrades have failed to drastically improve the car and take it to the top of the podium.

Difficult to get the car right

According to the GP Blog, Verstappen speculated that the RB20 is suffering because it is difficult to get the car's floor upgrades right under the new regulations.

"It seems trickier"

Verstappen said, "It seems trickier than everyone thinks. It's a lot more sensitive with upgrades than under previous regulations."

The wind tunnel

Could Red Bull's outdated wind tunnel be causing performance issues? Three-time champion Verstappen discussed whether the wind tunnel is causing the lack of top-of-the-podium finishes.

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"Just hard to understand"

Verstappen told Autosport: "It's true that we have a fairly old wind tunnel, but until this year it did everything right. Some things are just hard to understand."

What is the wind tunnel?

The F1 wind tunnel is a crucial aspect of car development as teams look to balance aerodynamics with power. The wind tunnel checks whether ideas that look good on computer simulations work when you test them.

Tech-based sport

Formula One is a heavily tech-based sport, constantly creating upgrades, new designs, and cutting-edge technology. An outdated wind tunnel will struggle to keep up with the latest technological concepts, holding a team back like Red Bull.

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Plans for a new one

According to ESPN, at the end of their incredible 2023 season, Christian Horner announced that Red Bull would start creating a new wind tunnel in 2024 and be fully finished in 2026, ready for the 2027 season.

Not anticipated

Horner and Red Bull must not have anticipated their current wind tunnel would cause so many issues just a season after losing one race in a year. However, Horner did express a minor concern following the 2023 championship victory.

“Not particularly efficient”

"Particularly with the wind tunnel that we have, which is a Cold War relic, and not particularly efficient, particularly in cold weather, which you tend to get a bit of in the UK, we have to be very selective."

McLaren

Rivals McLaren unveiled their state-of-the-art wind tunnel in October 2023, and results have drastically improved since making such a significant technological advancement.

Progress

In the 2023 season, Lando Norris finished on the podium in five of the final eight races. Since then, in 2024, Norris and Oscar Piastri have jumped significantly, with Norris winning three races and Piastri winning two.

A coincidence?

The arrival of McLaren's new state-of-the-art wind tunnel has undoubtedly transformed the team's results on the track, and vice versa for Red Bull. Can Norris catch Verstappen's 62-point lead at the top of the Formula One standings?

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