Why didn’t Red Bull immediately address Max Verstappen‘s criticism of the balance issues with the RB20? Technical Director Pierre Waché explains that Red Bull was hesitant to make too many adjustments to the car. However, this changed when the team started losing ground to McLaren.
The RB20 was a capricious car during the 2024 season. Both Sergio Pérez and Max Verstappen frequently complained about the Red Bull vehicle. The Dutchman was already dissatisfied with the car’s balance during the first few races of the previous season, even though this did not prevent him from winning multiple Grand Prix. During the races in Miami and Imola, the problems worsened, but according to Verstappen, his team did not immediately heed his criticism.
Balance Issues
“I think we saw the balance issues, but the car was fast and so we didn’t want to change it drastically,” Technical Director Pierre Waché explains to Motorsport.com. “When we returned to Europe and were increasingly challenged by McLaren, it became increasingly clear that this was one of our biggest problems in going faster.”
The Italian Grand Prix was even the nadir for the RB20. The world champion referred to the car after the race as an ‘uncontrollable monster’. Verstappen finished in Monza 37 seconds behind winner Charles Leclerc. After the Italian GP, improvements were made to the RB20, but Red Bull lost the constructor’s title to McLaren.
