MARK HUGHES RED BULL’S USUAL 2023 F1 has been a dominant force in the Formula 1 world for the past few seasons, but the 2023 F1 season has seen a noticeable drop in their performance. What happened to their usual cushion of dominance? F1 expert Mark Hughes shares his insights on the matter.
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Red Bull Racing’s Past Success
To understand the current situation of Red Bull Racing, we have to look at their past successes. Red Bull Racing has been a dominant force in F1 for the past few seasons, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez leading the team to multiple victories. However, it’s not just the drivers that have contributed to the team’s success. MARK HUGHES Red Bull Racing has also had a strong technical team led by Adrian Newey, who is considered a genius in the world of F1 design.
The 2023 F1 Season
So what happened to Red Bull Racing’s cushion of dominance in the 2023 F1 season? Mark Hughes explains that the main reason is the new regulations that were introduced for the 2023 season. These regulations placed a cap on the amount of downforce that teams could generate, which affected Red Bull Racing’s design philosophy.
Red Bull Racing’s Design Philosophy
Red Bull Racing’s design philosophy has always been focused on generating high levels of downforce. They have been able to achieve this through their unique approach to designing their cars, which includes the use of aerofoils, diffusers, and other aerodynamic components. However, the new regulations have limited the amount of downforce that teams can generate, which has affected Red Bull Racing’s ability to compete at the same level as before.
Red Bull Racing’s Response
Red Bull Racing has responded to the new regulations by trying to find new ways to generate downforce within the regulations. They have been experimenting with different designs, including a new front wing design, which has helped them to some extent. However, the team is still struggling to keep up with Mercedes and Ferrari, who have been able to adapt to the new regulations more effectively.
The Future of Red Bull Racing
Despite the team’s struggles in the 2023 season, Mark Hughes is optimistic about Red Bull Racing’s future. He believes that the team has the potential to bounce back and regain their dominance in the sport. However, this will require a significant investment in their technical team and a new approach to designing their cars. Only time will tell if Red Bull Racing will be able to regain their cushion of dominance in the future.
Another elimination session, another Red Bull column. But it was not a simple race for Max Verstappen. He at least got through it without any mechanical problems, something this time was met with teammate Sergio Perez, who exited the stage in Q1. But the RB19 isn’t as sweetly balanced in Australia as it is in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia.
While Verstappen’s 0.236-second gap over second-fastest George Russell is larger than Sergio Perez’s second-fastest in Jeddah, we always have to take Verstappen’s speed as an indicator of Red Bull – and yes every chance that he’d have played extremely comfortably in Jeddah much more than Perez if he hadn’t had mechanical problems there.
Looking back at the circumstances of each of the three qualifying sessions so far, Red Bull’s fundamental advantage has been greatly diminished here.
With Albert Park’s four DRS zones and the big advantage Red Bull finds from any DRS running, why does this track present such a challenge? It almost certainly has to do with the very intricate tire image on a very cool day around the track re-enacted last year – and how you plan your run around that challenge.
Verstappen reported: “It was difficult to get the tires to work in Turn 1 and get comfortable around that corner. “It was a bit of a story behind the whole weekend and I also think it wouldn’t matter if we ran at full capacity in FP1 and FP2. It’s just a round of performances, it seems to be very difficult with this new Runway around here since last year.
Q1 started right after the showers with a track surface of just 21 degrees Celsius. Even in the third quarter, it only increased to 24 degrees Celsius. Much of the usual rubber accumulation was washed away by heavy rain by the end of the third day. Six. Combined with the new surface, starting the front tire is more difficult than usual.
The typical smooth micro-surface of the newly resurfaced road limits the mechanical grip of the tyres. Low track temperatures and not much rubber build up will limit its chemical grip. So the front tires suffer from very low pressure, low traction and slow starting. Getting them hot enough that you know you’ll have a firm grip in Turn 1 on your lap is made even more complicated by some very tight final corners when building the lap. Push too hard through it and you risk damaging the front tires, overheating their tread surfaces before the cores are warm and pliable enough.
Simone Berra of Pirelli explains: “Having both axes in the operating window and temperature regulation is a big challenge. “It turned out that there was a very useful prep round. There’s enough energy going into the tires, so they perform well when they reach temperature.
“The C4 is a fairly peak tire and sometimes it is better to have fewer peaks but more consistent behavior throughout the lap. This is what the prep round did for you. But it’s okay to do a quick first lap as long as you’ve pushed the first lap out of the hole. That way you get more grip but it will be harder to control the temperature to get the net benefit in the lap.”
Question Q3 becomes whether to do the usual quick-cool-quick sequence or a prep lap, then a quick lap, before starting your next set of tires. Red Bull initially chose the first, Mercedes chose the second.
The potential danger of the Red Bull method is twofold: between damaging the front end by pushing too hard into the last few corners of the outer ring or not being stiff enough and not getting them to temperature on Turn 1, no really way to know on your first flyer if you hit it right between those two leaflets until you get your turn. You’ll also need more fuel doing the quick-cool-down method, meaning your first runner will be penalized for weight and for the second, the tires will be past their expiry date.
Doing it the other way around – with a build lap, then a push lap – gives you less compression time to put in a new tire a second time and find the right space in the flow of traffic. But you have lost the maximum traction of the tires.
Verstappen was immediately on full attack on his first Q3 run and his underdog could be seen through the last two corners. It wasn’t an ideal lap, 0.5 seconds short of what he did in Q2 when he did a build lap. After a great lap, he tried again on the same set and while that was better it was still slower than what he went in Q2 and wouldn’t be good enough to win pole in the receiving end. wake up late.
Conclusion
In conclusion, Red Bull Racing’s usual cushion of dominance has disappeared in the 2023 F1 season due to the new regulations that have limited the amount of downforce that teams can generate. Red Bull Racing’s design philosophy, which focuses on generating high levels of downforce, has been affected by these regulations, and the team is struggling to keep up with their competitors. However, there is still hope for the team’s future, and they have the potential to regain their dominance in the sport with the right investments and approach.
