Red Bull to confront ongoing setbacks as F1 rivals surge ahead

The reigning world champions began the 2024 season in spectacular form, clinching victory in five of the first seven races. However, their momentum has faltered over the following seven races, with only two wins as competitors McLaren and Mercedes surged forward.

In an exclusive interview with Motorsport.com, Wache attributed Red Bull's recent struggles to several factors. One key issue, he revealed, was the ageing wind tunnel used by the team.

"Some things you can attribute to the correlation between the wind tunnel and practice," Waché explained. "Our wind tunnel is relatively old and due to our position in the championship, we can run fewer hours in it."

He also reflected on the challenges posed by evolving competition. "At the beginning of 2022, Ferrari still had the strongest car, and in 2023 we had expected much more opposition, but that didn't happen," he said.

"Against expectations, that also stayed out in the first races of 2024, but with a delay of about 4 to 5 races, those other teams came alongside."

The regulations governing the current F1 car designs are in their third year, and Wache acknowledges that such stability naturally leads to a tighter field. "If you stabilise the regulations long enough, you can almost guarantee that the field will be closer together," he noted.

"That doesn't mean the development ceiling has been reached. You can always take inspiration from other people's ideas."

Over the past two years, Red Bull's innovative approach has largely set the standard, but Wache recognises the need for fresh ideas. "Over the past two years, other teams have mostly taken ideas from us. But you need others to find things too, so you can take another step," he said.

The team is now under pressure in the constructors' championship, with McLaren trailing by just 42 points. Wache admitted that Red Bull has not been able to maintain its previous advantage in high-speed corners. "The car is undoubtedly better than last year's, but we have not delivered in all areas as expected," he said.

"I think we have improved a lot in slow and medium-speed corners, but on the other hand, we are not as good as last year in the fast corners."

As the F1 season pauses for the summer break, with racing set to resume on 23 August, Red Bull faces a crucial period to address these issues and regain their competitive edge.