Christian Horner believes that Red Bull’s disappointing performance during the Italian Grand Prix at Monza may have marked a pivotal turning point in their 2024 Formula 1 season.
At Monza, Red Bull’s RB20 struggled significantly, with the car finishing as only the fourth-fastest on the grid. Max Verstappen expressed his frustration, describing the car as a “monster” and growing increasingly pessimistic about his championship prospects against McLaren’s Lando Norris. Despite the setback, the trip to Italy proved to be a valuable opportunity for data collection as Red Bull continued its floor experiments on both cars. Horner stated that the weekend in Monza helped the team identify the root causes of the RB20’s handling issues.
“We were already aware of some problems, but Monza really exposed and helped us pinpoint the root causes,” Horner commented. “I’m viewing Monza as the low point, and now we’re beginning to build from there,” he added during discussions in Singapore.
Following the disappointing outing in Monza, Sergio Perez returned to competitive form in Baku with a different car setup, while Verstappen managed a second-place finish in Singapore, albeit a considerable distance behind the dominant Norris. While these results may not have thrilled the team, they indicate progress as Red Bull seeks to regain its competitive edge. With a four-week break before the US Grand Prix in Austin, Horner sees this as an opportunity to transform their painful summer lessons into a more effective car upgrade.
“The gap to Lando was significant in the first part of the race, and we have a solid month to work hard and enhance the car ahead of Austin,” Horner stated. “Considering where we stood just a couple of weeks ago, we’ve made tangible progress. We’re starting to address the issues we’ve identified.”
Red Bull’s recent performances in Baku and Singapore show improvement, and Horner acknowledged the late nights ahead for the team in Milton Keynes. “McLaren is currently the benchmark car, and we have some catching up to do, but we have the talent and capability to achieve that.”
Although the team has not yet finalized the Austin upgrade, Horner emphasized the importance of efficiently navigating the design and production cycles to ensure that new parts are ready for the upcoming triple-header in Austin, Mexico, and Brazil. “The design for Austin probably hasn’t been finalized yet, but we’re working hard to incorporate useful insights from the past two races,” he noted.
The varying characteristics of the circuits—Austin, Mexico, and Brazil—will present unique challenges, but Horner remains optimistic. “The team is highly motivated, and we’re still in contention for both championships.” As Red Bull prepares for the next phase of the season, all eyes will be on whether they can convert their lessons learned into tangible performance improvements.
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