RB is set to kick off the Austrian Grand Prix weekend with its Formula 1 cars running in split specifications to understand why its upgrade package from the Spanish Grand Prix didn’t deliver as expected.
The team aimed to solidify its sixth-place position in the constructors’ championship and close the gap to Aston Martin by introducing significant updates to the VCARB 01, including revised sidepods, a new engine cover, rear wing, and floor.
However, the upgrades fell short in Barcelona, with Daniel Ricciardo finishing 15th and Yuki Tsunoda 19th, leaving the team without points. As the Austrian Grand Prix approaches, Ricciardo highlighted the need to further explore the new parts.
For the practice session, Ricciardo will run some of the new parts while Tsunoda will use others, allowing for a comparative analysis. This approach includes integrating additional new parts set for the Red Bull Ring.
“There are still some questions for sure, but are we convinced that the upgrade was a flop? No, we’re not,” Ricciardo said. “Yuki and I are going to start with different setups. It’s a combination of everything because we’re still trying to figure it out.”
He continued, “We’ll start differently on Friday morning, learn from practice, and then merge for the sprint quali. But we’re not discarding anything yet; there are no firm conclusions. It’s a bit harder now with a sprint weekend, but we have to keep trying to plug away at it.”
Tsunoda shared insights from the Spanish GP, noting that while the data matched expectations, the overall performance didn’t reflect it. He described the situation as a “bit of a mystery” and hoped for clarity after the sole practice session in Austria.
“I hope I have a clear explanation this week, but obviously the team is digging into that problem very hard,” Tsunoda said. “We still see what we wanted to see on the data after the race, but somehow it’s not performing well.”
He added, “We saw a couple of things that might cause it, but there’s still no clear answer, so that’s a bit of a mystery for us. There were a few things we could have done better on the setup side, but it still doesn’t explain why we lost as much as we did compared to previous races.”
RB’s strategy to use split specifications during the Austrian GP practice aims to diagnose and rectify the issues with their upgrade package, ensuring better performance in upcoming races.
