Red Bull made a small modification to the floor at the Azerbaijan GP for the RB20 as the first phase of its reaction to the disappointing Italian GP. Max Verstappen qualified seventh and finished sixth in Monza, complaining about the car’s difficult balance and calling it a “monster”. On Thursday, Verstappen said that Red Bull had understood some of the problems, though admitting it will take time before results are seen on the track. The first modification to the floor arrived in time for Baku, with the team’s official presentation to the FIA highlighting that it consists of “modifications applied to improve pressure gradients along the floor to enhance local and downstream airflow in all conditions.”
Red Bull’s Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan stated that the team has “licked its wounds” while trying to get to the bottom of the issues. “We won’t remain passive in the face of his comments or our performance in Monza and arrive here empty-handed hoping for the best,” he said when asked by formu1a.uno about Verstappen’s comments. “There are many ways to address the car’s behavior in Monza, and it touches on all aspects of the car, not just whether we revise the floor geometry or the wing. So it would be naive of us to think we could simply leave everything as it was. So we licked our wounds and learned lessons. The proof will only come on Sunday, but we have tried to make changes to the car and improve it. And we don’t want to revisit Monza. It wasn’t the most pleasant event for us, so we want to improve our position.”
Paul Monaghan also added: “We need to understand why the car was better before Zandvoort and Monza. Was it us? Has the competition improved? Is it a combination of both? I think we need to look at ourselves because we can’t control what our rivals do, and try to improve our car, and that’s what we are trying to do. It’s about putting together a package where Max can drive and feel confident. Look at the first races of the season, ‘Oh, they won’t catch us.’ And now we’re in a bit of a fight. So between Max, Checo, and the whole team, not just what you see here, the question is: can we put together a car capable of defending the titles?” said Red Bull’s chief engineer. Monaghan indicated that the Baku modification is a first step, given the limited time, and that more will come in Singapore next weekend. “The lessons are, in a way, continuous, and the immediate response tends to be in the following races,” he said. “So it’s a testament to everyone that we made it. A lot of hard work, and that hard work will continue. Singapore is only a week away. So there will potentially be another evolution for us. So if we managed to do this for this race, it’s certainly not the biggest change we’ve ever undertaken in terms of geometry alteration. It’s a small modification. Could the effect be good? Yes. And I think the concrete proof will be on Sunday afternoon.”
The floor used in Baku is a quickly modified version of the latest specification introduced, while the previous one, used by Max Verstappen in the Dutch Grand Prix, has been definitively abandoned. Modifications were made to the tunnel volumes beneath the car for this specification. But that’s not all. Along with the new floor, there was also a significant change in the diffuser design, which is a consequence of what was done in the less visible parts. The RB20 that took to the track in the first free practice session for the Azerbaijan Grand Prix at the Baku circuit shows a modification inspired by the work Ferrari did with the SF-24, with the Monza update, which in turn takes inspiration from itself. In Italy, Ferrari’s new diffuser keel appeared very different from the old specification, and it resembles the original design present on the F1-75, the Maranello team’s single-seater for the 2022 Formula 1 campaign. A step back to make one forward. The new keel on the RB20 adheres to the old diffuser design, with a modification that didn’t take much time, similar to what Ferrari did at the Hungaroring circuit, as explained by F1 expert for formu1a.uno.
The unusual three-week interval after the Singapore Grand Prix gives Red Bull time to make more significant changes for the United States Grand Prix at COTA in Austin, but Paul Monaghan admitted that the sprint format means it won’t be the right place to introduce updates. “It gives us the freedom to potentially do more,” he said, referring to the gap. “The disciplined approach is to ask: is it valuable enough to spend the money to do it, to bring it to Austin? And don’t forget, Austin is a sprint race, so after FP1, it’ll be guesswork. Is it okay, yes, no, indifferent? Keep it, don’t keep it? But that leaves us potentially with a few single parts. So your choices for Austin depend on the team and, in some ways, on your own confidence.” – he concluded.
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