One of the big questions facing teams this year is regarding how to allocate resources between 2021 and 2022. Some of the teams have already stopped developing this year’s car so that they can completely focus on 2022 with Mercedes being one such team. Red Bull, on the other hand, have been making significant progress over the last few races leading some to suggest that they are doing this at the cost of properly developing their 2022 car. Red Bull driver Max Verstappen has now explained if this is the right approach
Link to poll: https://www.youtube.com/post/UgykYW3FgY1AbaP6IeN4AaABCQ
0:00 - Are Red Bull Sacrificing 2022 To Win The Championship This Year
1:51 - Fast Feed
I'm your host Dillon Shelley and first up on Formula World:
Are Red Bull Sacrificing 2022 To Win The Championship This Year
Max began by accepting that they have a great package
“We do have a very good package but I want to see it again every single weekend because every track is different and it’s still about finding the perfect set-up on the car because it can be quite sensitive in some areas, to make it work and it’s never good enough”
He then explained why he is constantly after improvements
“I always want to try and improve every single weekend because even a weekend like this, of course it looks amazing, we won with a big margin, but it’s never good enough so we just try and look into details of what we can do better”
He also admitted that Red Bull are actively developing the RB16B and he explained why that is
“I don't know what’s going on with other teams but I know that of course, from our side, we do improve our car almost every race, which I think is very important – because we have a good opportunity to have a good season”
He signed off by elaborating on whether developing their current car will compromise their 2022 campaign
“I’m confident with the people we have in the team that also the focus for next year is 100%. So, I think so far, I don’t see that compromise – but of course time will tell next year if it’s like that! Yeah, I fully agree with the approach we have for this season”
Fast Feed
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton feels that their major issue is “straight-line speed. Whether that’s power or wing, it feels draggy but it also feels not that strong on the straights”
He also doesn’t “accept anything. [He thinks they’ve] still got many races ahead of [them] and [they’ve] got to keep pushing”
He added that they’re “World Champions and that’s what [they] can, definitely, improve if [they] put [their] minds to it”
Red Bull advisor Helmut Marko doesn’t “want to make the same mistake as BMW in 2008, when [Robert] Kubica had a realistic chance of winning the championship, but the business plan said to switch early to next season”
He surmised “No risk, no fun! [They'll] have to sort that out somehow then”
Retired F1 driver Johnny Herbert feels that Red Bull’s Sergio Perez “has matured brilliantly over the last couple of years”
“He's in a team with a lot of pressure and expectations and he's been able to deliver”
Another retired F1 driver in Paul di Resta, meanwhile, suggested that “it wasn't the pit stop that lost Perez the race [in Austria], it was the qualifying”
“He was down in 5th yesterday and got the jump from Bottas with the penalty. You need to do a job over both days” Paul added
Andrew Shovlin, Mercedes’ Trackside Engineering Director has stated that “they've clearly got a bit of pace to find”
However, they'll “use the next few days constructively to try and do everything [they] can to close that gap”
McLaren’s Lando Norris is of the opinion that “P5 is still a very good result for [them]. Hopefully, [they] can come back and do the same again next week”
AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly doesn’t “think there’s too much to say about [the Styrian GP. He] was in the middle of the straight when the incident happened”
“So, [he doesn’t] believe there was a lot [he] could do. It was a great weekend up until that moment and [he’s] obviously extremely disappointed to not be part of the race”
He reiterated that they “had a great package to score points here. It’s extremely frustrating, as [they’re] in a tight fight in the constructors championship”
However, they “still remain fifth which is really positive for the team”
His teammate Yuki Tsunoda agreed that “it was a real shame for Pierre, but the pace of the car is definitely there, so [they] just need to put it all together next week”
For Alpine’s Fernando Alonso “it’s good to score some more points for the team”
Are Red Bull taking a major risk for 2022 by focusing on their car in 2021?
