Christian Horner, the F1 team representative of Red Bull Racing, said that the 2022 F1 machine RB18 was created as a straight-oriented machine because there is no rake angle in the new F1 regulation introduced in 2022.
Until last year, the Red Bull Racing machine that adopted “High Rake” was a strong downforce machine in the corner. However, in this year’s battle with new-generation F1 cars, Scuderia Ferrari often takes full advantage of high-speed corners and Red Bull is straight and has an advantage.
This was evident in the previous race at the thrilling Miami International Autodrome, where Max Verstappen blocked Charles Leclerc late in the race.
“I think I had enough linear speed to defend. I chose the right balance in terms of setup and linear speed,” Christian Horner said after the race.
Later, Christian Horner further clarified why Red Bull Racing is improving top-end speed this season.
“Obviously, the setup we’re running this year is very different,” Christian Horner pointed out the overhauled F1 technical rules.
“Basically, the car doesn’t have a rake, so we developed a car with a good linear speed. We’ve confirmed that in almost every race this year.”
Christian Horner believes Ferrari’s unique advantage at the high-speed corner of the Catalunya circuit, where the next Spanish Grand Prix will be held, will be a major challenge.
After the first five races, Scuderia Ferrari leads Red Bull Racing 6 points in the Constructors’ranking, and Charles Leclerc is 19 points ahead of F1 World Champion Max Verstappen in the Drivers’ rankings.
Charles Leclerc has won in Bahrain and Australia, where Max Verstappen has retired, while Max Verstappen has won in all the races he has completed so far.
Christian Horner describes the next Spanish Grand Prix as a “new challenge” for Red Bull Racing and Scuderia Ferrari.
Christian Horner has told media including RacingNews365.com about the fight against Ferrari so far this season.
“We know that Barcelona is a whole new challenge in the high speed corner and Ferrari is strong in the area.”
Scuderia Ferrari is trying to increase this strength by updating the floor and diffuser of the F1-75, but Red Bull Racing will introduce further weight reduction measures to the RB18.
Category: Category: F1 / Red bull / F1 machine