Formula 1 2021: How Red Bull tries to beat Mercedes at their own game
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Toto Wolff and Helmut Marko
How does a star-studded and fully equipped team like Mercedes ever fall? This question has been on the mind of every Formula 1 fanatic since the beginning of the hybrid era. But it wasn’t long ago when the same domination was showcased by Red Bull Racing. So, how does Red Bull ever beat Mercedes at their own game of domination?
To bring the Formula 1 fans on the same page, Mercedes is one of only three teams in F1, along with Ferrari and Alpine, that produces both the car’s chassis and the engine that powers it. Known in F1 as a “factory” team, it has proven to be the most effective way of winning championships in F1’s recent history. Building your own engines is not essential for success. Given, Red Bull won four championships between 2010 and 2013 as a Renault customer team. But ever since the current engine regulations were introduced in 2014, Mercedes has been unbeatable.
How does Red Bull get on top of Mercedes by beating them in their own game in Formula 1 2021 season?
As perfect as Lewis Hamilton‘s Mercedes looks on track, its design is full of compromises, the sort that are inevitable when building a 220mph racing car within the laws of physics.
Red Bull built some fantastic racing cars while it was a customer of Renault in the turbo-hyrbid era since 2014, yet none were quick enough to take the fight to Mercedes over an entire year.
Part of that could be, and frequently was, blamed on the shortcomings of the Renault engine, but Red Bull’s switch to Honda is proof of what’s possible when the two different companies work together in the style of a factory team. Honda returned to F1 in 2015 as McLaren’s engine supplier, but initially struggled to get up to speed.
Having said that, a series of communication breakdowns led to disastrous results on track and, in time, the end of the relationship.
Yet by the time Honda partnered with Red Bull and its junior team, Toro Rosso, now AlphaTauri obviously, it was in a better position to meet the demands of its customer.
It’s taken two years for Red Bull and Honda to hit their stride. But now that they have produced a chassis and engine combination capable of fighting Mercedes.
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Yakshpat Bhargava
(3989 Articles Published)