Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has singled out innovative front wing designs as a major factor behind the recent performance surge of rivals McLaren and Mercedes.
In the wake of the reigning world champion’s humbling defeat at the hands of McLaren in last weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, courtesy of an outstanding effort by race winner Lando Norris, Horner acknowledged that team papaya’s performance this summer has been impressive.
Red Bull's once formidable lead in the Constructors' Championship is now under serious threat, with their advantage over McLaren trimmed to just 30 points with nine races to go.
But rather than the bulls losing their way in this year’s development race – although the team’s shortfall in this area relative to McLaren and Mercedes is clear – Horner reckons that Red Bull’s rivals have generated performance gains in the critical area of front-wing design, while his own team has perhaps neglected the space.
“I think it’s more where have the others found performance,” he said in Zandvoort. “I think front wing is a key area where others have found some performance.”
Front wings and their inherent designs and structures have been a hot topic this season.
At last month’s Belgian Grand Prix, the FIA intensified its scrutiny of flexible front wing elements by relying on stricter video checks amid suspicions that Mercedes may have been pushing the boundaries of the regulations.
Horner highlighted the distinctive approach taken by McLaren and Mercedes in this regard.
“I think that the way the front wings are being used are quite different,” he noted.
“If you look at the front wing angle of McLaren and Mercedes, they’re very, very different. Very different to that rest of the grid.
“This suggests that these teams are innovating in areas where Red Bull might not have anticipated, leading to their recent competitiveness.
The shift in competitive dynamics was starkly evident last weekend at Zandvoort, where McLaren's Lando Norris delivered a commanding performance, further establishing McLaren as the team to beat in recent races, a fact acknowledged by Horner.
“McLaren are setting the benchmark now,” he added. “That’s clear in terms of pace. They’ve been that in the last couple of races.
“Certainly in Hungary they were very competitive. Spa it was Mercedes. Here, Lando in particular was very, very strong.”
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Horner's remarks reflect a recognition that Red Bull must now adapt to this evolving competitive landscape and find ways to improve their own car if they are to reclaim their dominance.
However, there are no quick fixes stressed the Briton.
“Definitely they have the fastest car at the moment,” he concluded. “We have to respond to that.
“It’s not rocket science, there’s no silver bullets in this business, it’s a matter of understanding the problem, addressing the problem and then implementing fixes to it.”
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