Red Bull Racing has the current favorite to win the F1 World Title. With the new regulations, Austrian outfit gained a huge advantage over its competitors. Max Verstappen, a Milton Keynes-based driver, and Sergio Perez have been trading wins so far in this season. Red Bull will reportedly increase this advantage during the Miami GP.
The energy drink giant approached the Azerbaijan GP differently than its competitors. Despite only having one Free Practice on the weekend, the Austrian team made some important upgrades. reported that this package would provide an increase of three tenths of a second. This included new bodywork around the radiator inlets which altered the airflow.
Red Bull’s car was not able to perform at its best due to the Baku circuit and lack of running. Max Vertappen spoke out about his frustrations with the car as Milton Keynes’ team lost pole position to Charles Leclerc and Ferrari. The team recovered during the races, and finished with a 1-2 result.
Miami GP will be a true test of the Red Bull upgrades
Miami GP is a normal F1 weekend, with three practice sessions. This will allow Red Bull to optimize track running and gain a deeper understanding of the package. Verstappen, Sergio Perez and the team will be able to learn the new upgrades as well as find the best set-up balance. The Austrian team will focus on upgrades in-season until the British GP, as it tries to improve its pace before focusing on 2024.
It is expected that the innovations of Adrian Newey will give Red Bull a full three-tenths of a point advantage in Miami, after only gaining around half in Baku. Milton Keynes needs to upgrade its equipment to close the gap with rivals in the second half.
Christian Horner spoke about the team’s plans to slow down the in-season development of the car after the first half 2023. He added, “When we compete in Europe there will no doubt be updates. This year we have reduced our development capacity, so instead of focusing on catching up with competitors, we’re concentrating on increasing the gap between us and them.”
Red Bull Racing is a force that will be felt at the Miami GP in this season. Ferrari may have upset the apple cart during Qualifying, but the Austrian team has much more to get out of its car and enjoys a better race pace. Red Bull’s latest package will be tested in Miami to see if it can make any gains.
