The preseason tests are always a first contact with the cars, and although precipitated conclusions should not be drawn, the story shows that the teams that begin strong in these tests often maintain their competitiveness during the season. In this sense, Red Bull He did not have the best start with the RB21.
One of the greatest setbacks for Red Bull in these three days of tests was a water leak in RB21 while Liam Lawson was piloting. This technical problem caused the team to waste a valuable time on the track, affecting its test program.
Beyond this mechanical incidence, a worrying trend could also be noted in the behavior of the car. Max Verstappen He made constant corrections at the wheel, especially in slow curves and when passing through the pianos. This indicates a subviring problem, since the car had difficulty entering curve and lacked the necessary adhesion in the turn.
This situation became evident in other teams, as in Aston Martin de Lance Stroll during the last day of the test. However, that Red Bull and his worldwide tricampeon, Verstappen, in front of these difficulties is striking and generates doubts about the performance of the RB21 for the first race.
The technical director of Red Bull, Pierre Waché, talked about these problems and the general sensation of the team after the tests.
“I am not as happy as it could be because the car did not respond as we wanted in some moments, but it goes in the right direction,” said Waché.
Red Bull seeks error
“Perhaps the magnitude of the management was not as great as we expected, and it is something that we must work for the first race and future development,” he added.
“It was not as a fluid test as we expected, but it is better to find some problems here than later. That’s why we are here, to understand the car, ”he concluded.
Despite the inconveniences, Red Bull will try to solve these problems before the start of the season. However, the data of these tests do not reflect the absolute domain that the team showed in last season. The great unknown will be if they can adjust the RB21 in time to continue being the reference of Formula 1.
