2021 Red Bull Racing F1 Team

[Tizz]

No even after Turkey they have a good car under them to challenge everywhere.
Mexico and Brasil could suit the RB16B well.
And with the engine situation LH wont be able to fully capitalize on the higher speed tracks.
The constructors is their issur. Perez needs to wake up.

I really don’t think the WCC has ever been their goal for the season. All the eggs have been in the WDC basket for Verstappen.

Not so sure. It got out of reach as Perez is not living up to expectations. RB took in a driver from outside their own pond not only to support Max but also to have decent shot at the WCC given the mediocre results of Bottas in a superior car.
In a sense, Perez and Bottas are perfect opposites. Bottas is quick on one lap but cannot race and Perez the other way around.

[DChemTech]

OK boys, let's go and get all 7 in a row now!

7 wins in a row? There's only 6 races left. I wish but Mercedes seem to unlock more and more engine power with every round, I think they'll be difficult to beat everywhere and Verstappen needs Perez for strategy and to try and finish ahead of Hamilton

I am assuming that he thinks Qatar will be the TBA race.

Mercedes engine power does worry me. They are mighty fast and they seem to get faster and faster as the season has progressed. That straight line speed Red Bull enjoyed in France feels like an eternity ago now.

Ah, yes, remember those days... when Toto was implying Honda must have made an illegal change to the PU to achieve that top speed...

[Slo Poke]

It may be of mutual benefit if Mr. Horner sat Mr. Perez down and psychologically deconstructed the myth of being a tyre whisperer. Especially as the machinery Mr. Perez operates doesn’t need one!
Go Gung-ho, as they say... because he definitely has it in him!
Judicious Predacious, in all things but speed is the Prey, in this case.

[El Scorchio]

He's doing it because that's what the team wants him to do. Go long in the first stint and try and be between Verstappen and the Mercs after they've all pitted to hold them up. Then try and make up the places he sacrifices for himself by doing that on a second shorter stint with fresh tyres vs the cars around him.

Not sure the gung ho approach is always good anyway- Verstappen had chewed through his tyres yesterday- particularly in the first stint- and wasn't looking in a good place until the rain came along.

[Slo Poke]

He's doing it because that's what the team wants him to do. Go long in the first stint and try and be between Verstappen and the Mercs after they've all pitted to hold them up. Then try and make up the places he sacrifices for himself by doing that on a second shorter stint with fresh tyres vs the cars around him.

Not sure the gung ho approach is always good anyway- Verstappen had chewed through his tyres yesterday- particularly in the first stint- and wasn't looking in a good place until the rain came along.

Quite so, El Scorchio but it might help produce a little more hot-lap pace in qualifying! May help in the race too, considering what Max achieved.

[godlameroso]

It's go time, not worried about the outcome, for Verstappen, Perez or RBR.

33 point deficit can turn around with 1 1-2 finish. With 6 or 7 races left and a 2 point gap in the WDC with what is essentially the best car and driver combo on the grid it's certainly doable.

They just have to keep it up. Imola showed Perez can qualify well.

[Sieper]

He's doing it because that's what the team wants him to do. Go long in the first stint and try and be between Verstappen and the Mercs after they've all pitted to hold them up. Then try and make up the places he sacrifices for himself by doing that on a second shorter stint with fresh tyres vs the cars around him.

Not sure the gung ho approach is always good anyway- Verstappen had chewed through his tyres yesterday- particularly in the first stint- and wasn't looking in a good place until the rain came along.

Right. And the entire top 10 starting on fresh tires of free choice (because Q2 was in the rain on inters) and Max thus getting stuck behind the bottom of the top 10 (Ricciardo Alonso) on equally fresh tires, in Alonso’s case even whites, Instead of them pitting away out before him as their used reds would be gone had nothing to do with that. Did you not see the gap Max put on Leclerc in the few laps he did actually had free air? Nor Max coming from the back and having to pass both Leclerc and Bottas who normally are not that far back and have fast cars had anything to do with that.

I know you know better then that. It was just very unlucky that rained out Q2 and leclerc and Bottas at the back and when and where Max hit traffic. He almost caught up to Hamilton when they pitted and when Max got stuck again o yellows that now needed to last to the end.

I was very impressed he did not do a brutal defence on Alonso, not even on Leclerc (who did himself do a brutal defensive move on Max early in the race). He just accepted the cards that were dealt to him and when the rain came (luckily) everyone had the chance to capitalize. Had they not?

[El Scorchio]

He's doing it because that's what the team wants him to do. Go long in the first stint and try and be between Verstappen and the Mercs after they've all pitted to hold them up. Then try and make up the places he sacrifices for himself by doing that on a second shorter stint with fresh tyres vs the cars around him.

Not sure the gung ho approach is always good anyway- Verstappen had chewed through his tyres yesterday- particularly in the first stint- and wasn't looking in a good place until the rain came along.

Right. And the entire top 10 starting on fresh tires of free choice (because Q2 was in the rain on inters) and Max thus getting stuck behind the bottom of the top 10 (Ricciardo Alonso) on equally fresh tires, in Alonso’s case even whites, Instead of them pitting away out before him as their used reds would be gone had nothing to do with that. Did you not see the gap Max put on Leclerc in the few laps he did actually had free air? Nor Max coming from the back and having to pass both Leclerc and Bottas who normally are not that far back and have fast cars had anything to do with that.

I know you know better then that. It was just very unlucky that rained out Q2 and leclerc and Bottas at the back and when and where Max hit traffic. He almost caught up to Hamilton when they pitted and when Max got stuck again o yellows that now needed to last to the end.

I was very impressed he did not do a brutal defence on Alonso, not even on Leclerc (who did himself do a brutal defensive move on Max early in the race). He just accepted the cards that were dealt to him and when the rain came (luckily) everyone had the chance to capitalize. Had they not?

Of course- but my point being that he took all the life out of his hard tyres making the moves up the field, which was great initially, but then he was in a bit of a predicament when faced with going for a long second stint on the mediums and potentially putting himself at risk of losing places or having to pit again. He certainly wasn't going to get any further up than 7th apart from Perez pitting, although I don't recall if he was under serious threat from behind in those last 15 laps or so. Would he have benefitted more from being a bit more measured in the first stint? Possibly, but it's all theoretical. Either way, the rain came and proved incredibly helpful.

For some reason you seem to be interpreting this as some sort of attack on him. It isn't, and you don't need to 'stick up' for him and get your customary dig at Leclerc in. I was merely addressing another poster to say that gung ho might not always be the best approach.

[DChemTech]

Leclerc was catching up in the laps before the floodgates opened; from what I recall, a batrle with Lec was becoming more likely than one with alonso

[Curbstone]

Leclerc was catching up in the laps before the floodgates opened; from what I recall, a batrle with Lec was becoming more likely than one with alonso

It was, even in the rainy conditions on slicks Leclerc was getting closer.

[Gillian]

I think the setup for Verstappen wasnt the best option in hindsight. Too little wing, stuck in traffic, pit too early for mediums and get stuck again + having to nurse the tires to reach the end.

[Edax]

I think the setup for Verstappen wasnt the best option in hindsight. Too little wing, stuck in traffic, pit too early for mediums and get stuck again + having to nurse the tires to reach the end.

Perhaps, but I guess he tuned his car for the overtakes in corner 4. It is non-drs so having less wing there helps a lot. From that perspective it makes sense.

But in the end they might have compromised tire longevity a bit too much. It is not like he could have stayed longer on the whites. They were gone.

Pitting later was no option but one lap earlier would perhaps helped. It would mean one more lap on yellow, but I think he might have cleared Rus and Ric.

Anyway hindsight is 20:20. And I guess it is hard to prepare for a track with this little running and variable conditions.

[Gillian]

I think the setup for Verstappen wasnt the best option in hindsight. Too little wing, stuck in traffic, pit too early for mediums and get stuck again + having to nurse the tires to reach the end.

Perhaps, but I guess he tuned his car for the overtakes in corner 4. It is non-drs so having less wing there helps a lot. From that perspective it makes sense.

But in the end they might have compromised tire longevity a bit too much. It is not like he could have stayed longer on the whites. They were gone.

Pitting later was no option but one lap earlier would perhaps helped. It would mean one more lap on yellow, but I think he might have cleared Rus and Ric.

Anyway hindsight is 20:20. And I guess it is hard to prepare for a track with this little running and variable conditions.

Totally agree and in the end it worked out. Verstappen must be happy he did not take any risk during the race. I am sure if it was Hamilton who went from last to second, his race would have been lauded as a fantastic mature drive which was rewarded by a champions luck. But because it was Verstappen who did it, it was just pure luck.

For me personally it was great to see Verstappen avoiding accidents, moving through the field without taking risks, making the call (with the team) at the right time and getting rewarded for it.

But apart from that, there where great performances all over the race. Norris, Hamilton, Alonso (!!) all drove superb. Can't wait for the next race. Such a great season!

[Kingshark]

Apart from Zandvoort, Red Bull haven’t been the fastest car anywhere in the last 6 races.

Worrying trend. I am hoping for another aerodynamic upgrade to close the deficit. Max can only carry them so far.

[Gillian]

Let's wait and see the next race first. I mean, he won sprint in Silverstone but did not get further than lap 1 in the race. He got torpedoed the next race in Hungary, then got pole in Spa, won Zandvoort.... Then you get Monza which was looking pretty good all things considered until the crash and Sochi which was hampered by the penalties... but he still got second. So it's hard to gauge the performance deficit between Mercedes and Red Bull really.