Seventh place in the standings at the end of the second free practice session certainly does not reflect the full potential of Red Bull and Max Verstappen, as also demonstrated by the third time obtained by Sergio Perez with the other RB20, albeit a good 4 tenths from the top. However, at the moment it seems quite clear that McLaren has started off on the right foot, putting together various little pieces on a track that, on paper, should be favorable to the characteristics of the MCL38.
Interestingly, in the past the two cars that are currently battling for the top positions had a lot in common, especially their qualities in the fast corners. It is no coincidence that last year at Silverstone the McLaren of the 2023 season had also performed well, leading the race in the early stages: 12 months later those signs seem to have been confirmed, with both MCL38s ahead at least on Friday.
Behind him is a Red Bull today in the role of pursuer, with problems already characterized in other events of the season, as confirmed by Helmut Marko at the end of the first day of testing. The RB20 defends itself in the fast areas, even if in those sections there were some errors by Max Verstappen that did not allow him to improve the final time, but on the other hand the problems emerge in the slow corners, already highlighted elsewhere.
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
“We lose too much in the slow corners, especially in the first sector we lose almost three tenths. We have worsened compared to the first tests, and also the long run was not at the level of Norris. We have a lot to work on,” Helmut Marko told the television station ORF at the end of the afternoon session on the track. In fact, the issue of the slow corners, especially in the first sector, is one on which it is known that Red Bull still has to work, while the reference of the last chicane is missing, precisely because of the mistakes made by Verstappen during his attempts. However, also making a comparison with Perez, the main limitations seem to find points in common with those of his teammate, namely the low-mileage sections.
“On the other hand, the weather forecast for Sunday and Saturday is not good. That means: what compromise do you make? Do you rely more on rain, which means loading the wings more or something like that? Well, it’s an interesting development, but the step we took was certainly not the right one,” the Red Bull consultant added.
When asked about the nature of the RB20’s problems in those corners, Marko explained that, from his point of view, it was more a question of the mechanical set-up of the car: “It’s a mix of different things, the car is sliding too much and I think the problem is more of a mechanical one.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB20
Photo by: Glenn Dunbar / Motorsport Images
Undoubtedly the weather will play a key role in the rest of the weekend, but on the other hand the goal cannot but be to find a more balanced car during the lap. Thanks to the technical innovations in the past races, McLaren has managed to take a step in this direction, improving performance in the slow sections without weighing excessively on those in the fast sections. Red Bull will have to do the same type of work, but during a race weekend.
“It remains to be seen whether we can find the right balance, whether we can maintain our performance in the fast corners without losing too much in the slow ones. We didn’t do badly in terms of tyre wear either, but not so good that we can go into the race with confidence. We need to find a compromise, both on the track and with the weather,” added Marko.
#Marko #suffer #slow #Norris #pace
