While Max Verstappen enjoys virtual racing in his spare time, the reigning world champion has recently devoted serious hours to the Red Bull simulator. His goal? To address a critical weakness in their car that has rejuvenated the 2024 Formula One world championship.
After dominating the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Verstappen now faces a tighter competition. Recently, he has struggled against McLaren and Ferrari at certain tracks, and the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve may present similar challenges.
Recent Struggles
In the past three races, Verstappen has faced tough competition. In Miami, he was outperformed by McLaren's Lando Norris. At Imola, he narrowly secured victory in a race that Norris might have won with a bit more time. In Monaco, Red Bull struggled with the street circuit's slow corners and kerbs, and Verstappen finished sixth, as Ferrari's Charles Leclerc took a comfortable win.
Montreal's street circuit, while not as tight as Monaco, still demands cars to handle high-speed straights interrupted by chicanes. Red Bull has shown vulnerabilities here, struggling to maintain stability and pace through the kerbs.
Championship Battle Tightens
Verstappen currently leads the drivers' championship by 31 points over Leclerc, a margin that has shrunk since Monaco. On smoother tracks with fast corners, like Spain or Silverstone, Red Bull excels. However, their design philosophy, which focuses on these tracks, hampers performance on bumpier circuits.
Red Bull's car performs best with a low ride height to maximize downforce through ground-effect aerodynamics. However, this setup becomes problematic on tracks requiring higher ride heights to manage kerbs and bumps. This issue was evident in Monaco, where Verstappen struggled with the car's handling, calling it a "wake-up call" for the team.
Addressing Weaknesses
This weakness was previously masked by Red Bull's significant advantage, but now, with Ferrari and McLaren closing in, it has become more pronounced. "The limitations we have at the moment with the car over kerbs and bumps, we've had it for a long time so it's nothing new," Verstappen noted in Canada. "But naturally when people around us are catching up, these problems are a bit more apparent."
Addressing this issue has become Red Bull's primary focus as the championship battle intensifies, with their lead over Ferrari reduced to 24 points. However, a quick fix seems unlikely. Whether they have made progress might become apparent in Montreal.
"We know that we have to improve it -- we had a very constructive week after Monaco to look into details of why it's not so good," Verstappen said. "We have to just work step by step to solve it, but it's not something you can fix within one or two weeks."
As the race weekend unfolds, assuming Verstappen hasn't found a miraculous solution from his simulator sessions, we should witness a real battle -- just what is needed to intensify the championship fight. For fans looking to get in on the action, placing a bet online might add an extra layer of excitement to this highly-anticipated race.
The Road Ahead
Red Bull is expected to be competitive in Canada, but Ferrari and McLaren see this as another chance to gain ground. Norris, cautious of making predictions, has been performing well. The McLaren and Ferrari cars, more adept at handling higher ride heights and aggressive kerb management, might be better suited to this track.
Leclerc believes he is genuinely in the title fight with Verstappen, a claim that holds weight going into Montreal. "The last two races have not been the tracks that favor Red Bull or show their strengths," Leclerc said. "I don't think that this one is a track that will show their strength either, so it might be an opportunity again for us."
Friday's practice sessions, dominated by rain, made it difficult to draw conclusions about who holds the edge. However, with Fernando Alonso fastest in the second practice and Norris topping the opening session, the stage is set for an exciting Canadian Grand Prix.