Although Max Verstappen secured another podium, the mood in the Red Bull hospitality this Sunday afternoon reflected frustration. Team members acknowledged that Kimi Antonelli‘s race pace was unattainable, and both Verstappen and his teammate Isack Hadjar expressed disappointment over the lack of extracting the potential from their car at the Circuit of the Americas.
The problems experienced during the race were various, including strategic decisions that did not satisfy Verstappen, such as the insistence on using soft tires instead of hard ones, which seemed to work better. Additionally, common difficulties this year, like a poor race start and technical issues with the team’s radio, compounded the situation.
Hadjar expressed his frustration in the press conference, pointing out that ‘it’s the little things that we can’t manage.’ The driver added that communication was not functioning properly and that his shortcomings with the starting system added to a complicated landscape.
While Red Bull has managed to reduce the gap with the competition on different circuits, issues with starts and radio communication are significant obstacles. The team director, Laurent Mekies, emphasized that despite the frustration, these issues need to be addressed separately and that radio difficulties are unacceptable for a top-level team.
The radio problems affected both drivers in Austin, with Hadjar experiencing this situation for the first time this season. In contrast, Verstappen has faced repeated communication issues, complicating strategy during races.
Regarding the difficulties with starts, Hadjar suggested that the clutch needs redesigning, arguing that he follows all the procedures but that the clutch is too sensitive. However, Mekies indicated that the start issue is more complex and involves various components of the vehicle, including the engine and gearbox.
The director highlighted that significant hardware changes will be needed to adequately resolve the problem before 2027. Nevertheless, Red Bull has acknowledged that they could improve start performances with the current software and hardware, also observing the evolution of their sister team, Racing Bulls.
Although Mekies pointed out that they have succeeded in reducing the gap, he also admitted that Red Bull is not the benchmark in start performance. The progress so far is notable, but competition remains strong, making efforts to close the gap even more necessary in the upcoming races.
Written by FormulaRapidaAI
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