The perfect season that Red Bull Racing had in mind for several weeks now vanished yesterday thanks to the victory obtained by Carlos Sainz Jr. and Ferrari at the Singapore Grand Prix. Once he crossed the finish line, the Madrilenian also put an end to Max Verstappen’s record streak of 10 consecutive victories. In short, a clean cut to threads that seemed to be very solid and still very long.
In a season made up of 22 races it is normal to have races in which even the big favorite can run into a series of problems that alter the initial prediction. It also happened to Red Bull, at Marina Bay, on a weekend in which the TD18 was introduced, linked to the flexibility of the front wing.
A case? According to Red Bull and its team principal, Christian Horner, yes. The problem, although explained superficially, would be linked to problems in preparing the assets for the Marina Bay weekend. The adjustments studied in Milton Keynes would have taken into account asphalt variables which, in the end, did not arise even through resurfacing.
An incorrect judgment that had a significant impact on the results of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, who finished fifth and eighth respectively in the race after a good comeback on a track where it is difficult to overtake.
“We knew that coming here we were expecting closer competition. But I think it took us a little by surprise how far away we were on Friday. And I think we weren’t in the right operating window for the car, especially on a single lap. And when you’re not there, the tires feel terrible. Nothing works,” Horner said at the end of the race.
“I think that perhaps our simulation before the weekend didn’t lead us to the right conclusion. And then we have to try to get out of this situation. And I think we ended up in the wrong window and this highlighted some weaknesses in the car. Which it turned out to be a very useful lesson for next year, because it provided us with some useful information and some aspects that we hope to be able to address with our RB20.”
“I know you [rivolto alla stampa] you would like to blame the TD18. But unfortunately we can’t blame that either, because not a single component of our car has changed. So I think the characteristics of the circuit are different. And I think we haven’t optimized the car in the right way to get the most out of it.”
Kevin Magnussen, Haas VF-23, Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19, Nico Hulkenberg, Haas VF-23
Photo by: Andy Hone / Motorsport Images
If in qualifying the RB19s appeared unrecognizable, as Horner explained, in the race things changed for the better. Verstappen and Perez were able to recover some positions, although slowed down by a tire strategy in the first stint which, all things considered, did not help them.
“I think we had a very good improvement in the race and we saw, especially in the last stint, that Max’s pace was very, very strong,” continued the British manager. “Unfortunately, in the race, by starting on hard, we made a strategic gamble, and the best way to pay ourselves back in this race is if we get an early safety car or a safety car later in the race.”
“At the same time, although he gave us the position on the track, he made us start again with tires that were very difficult to warm up again, after having done well over 20 laps. So Max was obviously caught by the guys who made the free stop. And then we had to make a pit stop in normal racing conditions, which cost us another 23 seconds. So, all in all, the recovery we had was good.”
Finally, Horner congratulated Ferrari and Sainz for the victory obtained. In Maranello, success in Formula 1 had been missing for over a year and 2 months. An eternity, for a team that aspires to win races and titles.
“The pace we kept, especially in the last part of the race, to be 0.3″ behind Charles at the finish line, was a strong race. But at some point we would have been beaten. 15 wins in a row is an incredible record. Before tonight we had only been beaten once, since last July. I have to congratulate Ferrari and in particular Carlos, who drove a very strong race today and deserved to win the race. At the same time, we have moved closer to both championships and have a chance to win the constructors’ championship in Japan next weekend,” concluded Horner.
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