(Motorsport-Total.com) – Until a few races ago, Racing Bulls was one of many teams in the tight midfield of Formula 1. Since then, the picture has changed significantly. Since the Canadian Grand Prix, the Red Bull junior team has consistently presented itself as the strongest force behind the four top teams Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren, and Red Bull. Both the team officials and the competition explain that this upswing is no coincidence.
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With 59 points, Racing Bulls is now only one point behind Alpine (60) in the Constructors’ Championship. While Alpine has recently lost ground, Racing Bulls has been able to continuously close the gap and is currently considered the favorite in the fight for fifth place in the team standings.
Racing Bulls driver Arvid Lindblad sees the reason for the performance leap mainly in a single but decisive development step.
Radical change to the floor as the key
According to Lindblad, the big Canada update was much more extensive than it appeared from the outside. Above all, Racing Bulls fundamentally changed its approach to the floor.
“It was a huge update. Basically, the entire philosophy of the floor has changed,” explains the Brit. “It has clearly become much better, and that is exactly why the car now works on practically every track.”
Usually, the floor plays by far the most important role in the performance of a Formula 1 car. Small changes can have a big impact on the overall vehicle behavior. Racing Bulls seems to have made the decisive breakthrough exactly at this point.
For Lindblad, this is no coincidence. Rather, the team used the first races of the season to precisely analyze the weaknesses of the original concept.
“They understood the basics”
The real progress was therefore less a single new component than a better overall understanding of the vehicle. “We are still relatively early in this regulation,” says Lindblad. “If you understand the basics of the car correctly, the car works everywhere in the end.”
That is exactly what Racing Bulls has achieved. “I believe the team used the first races to really understand the car. And in Canada, they then implemented it perfectly.”
This also explains why Racing Bulls has been competitive on completely different race tracks since Montreal. Whether fast corners, slow sections, or different asphalt surfaces – the car now works significantly more consistently under almost all conditions than before.
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Competition acknowledges development lead
How big the step actually was is also shown by the statements of the direct competition. Alpine driver Pierre Gasly makes no attempt to downplay the upswing. On the contrary: The Frenchman currently certifies Racing Bulls with the best development work in the entire midfield.
“To be honest, VCARB has simply done a better job in recent weeks,” says Gasly. “They have brought more effective updates to their car.” The former AlphaTauri driver was particularly impressed by the qualifying in Silverstone.
“Their pace in Silverstone was tremendous,” praises Gasly. “They were only two tenths of a second behind the fastest Red Bull in qualifying. You can only take your hat off to that.” For Alpine, this is simultaneously a wake-up call. “We have to find a way to raise our own level again in the upcoming races.”
Alpine currently without an answer
While Racing Bulls hit the mark with its Canada package, Alpine is currently in a more difficult phase. There will be no new upgrades in Belgium, so Gasly does not expect major changes in the balance of power.
“We are not bringing any updates this weekend,” explains the Frenchman. “Therefore, we do not expect a significantly different order.” On the contrary: Alpine is preparing for another difficult weekend against Racing Bulls. “We expect a big challenge to be able to fight with them at all.”
Nevertheless, the team wants to use the practice sessions intensively to better understand the existing package. Especially the recent developments have not brought the hoped-for progress.
The car does not deliver the expected performance
Gasly openly admits that Alpine still does not fully understand why the recent updates have fallen short of expectations. “We want to better understand our current vehicle package. It has not delivered the performance we hoped for in recent weeks.”
Therefore, extensive test programs are planned, provided the weather cooperates. “We have many things planned for Friday. Hopefully, it stays dry so that we can gather as many insights as possible.”
Even if not everything went optimally, according to Gasly, this does not change the fundamental situation. “Even if some things were not perfect, at the moment we simply do not have the pace to really challenge Racing Bulls.”
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