Red Bull admits Max Verstappen’s skills often ‘hide’ the car’s true deficits
Pierre Wache admitted that Max Verstappen's skills often brings drawback for team to find the exact problems their car is facing.
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Max Verstappen (via IMAGO)
Red Bull started the 2024 season strong, but their recent slump in performance makes their progress seem very ironic. The irony is particularly striking given that Max Verstappen has won 7 races so far and secured pole position 8 times. The Dutch driver leads the Drivers’ Championship by 78 points. This highlights that even the RB20 had many issues, Verstappen made it look easy for everyone. While on the other side Sergio Perez had the worst run compared to his last two seasons. It is clear that Verstappen’s talent is what keeping Red Bull competitive.
Red Bull engineer Pierre Wache praised Max Verstappen‘s exceptional driving skills, but also mentioned a drawback that comes with it. He explained that the Dutchman’s talent often masks the car’s weaknesses. This makes it difficult for the team to pinpoint the exact problems with the car until it’s too late to address them effectively.
Many of the car's deficits are hidden, it's true. This can sometimes lead to a problem being identified too late.Pierre Wache told Auto Motor und Sport
The Red Bull engineer further explained that if the team tried to adjust the car to make both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez comfortable, it would likely make them slower overall. This is because making changes to suit each driver’s preferences might not be the best. He mentioned that adjustments for driver comfort might compromise overall car performance, even if the drivers feel more at ease.
If we listened to them, both would probably feel comfortable, but they would also be slower.Pierre Wache added.
Pierre Wache stresses prioritizing team’s performance over individual results
Pierre Wache explained that the team’s goal is to design a car which is driveable. They don’t design on the basis of driver’s preferences or to suit the car to just one driver. Their ultimate goal is to make the fastest car on the grid that is dominant and competitive at the same time. However, they consider the drivers input, but their priority is always on overall speed and performance, rather than making the car comfortable for a single driver.
We don't build a car based on the wishes of a single driver, but we always try to create the fastest possible.Pierre Wache stated.
Therefore, any team’s focus is on maximizing their car’s performance rather than building a suitable car for their driver. The drivers should be experienced enough to get used to the car or give feedback where the improvements are needed.
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Gaurang Kadam
(535 Articles Published)