Pierre Waché, Technical Director at Red Bull Racing, cautions the team against getting ahead of themselves. The Austrian outfit has every reason to celebrate after Max Verstappen‘s Grand Prix victory in Imola, especially since the RB21 was nowhere to be seen in Miami. Waché is pleased that the upgrades brought along seem to be working well, but warns that this may not necessarily be the case on every other circuit.
While Max Verstappen saw the two McLaren drivers disappear on the horizon in Miami, in Imola it was the four-time world champion who quickly gained a significant lead in the race. Only the safety car, triggered by the retirement of local hero Andrea Kimi Antonelli, allowed Lando Norris and Oscar Piastri to briefly catch sight of Verstappen. The circumstances were quite different last Friday when the driver could only clock the fifth fastest time.
“Today’s conditions were a bit different from Friday,” Technical Director Pierre Waché attempts to explain the speed difference. “The asphalt was a bit warmer, which affected performance.” But it wasn’t just the weather conditions that worked in Red Bull’s favor, the upgrades brought to Imola also did their job. “The new upgrades give us the opportunity to improve for the race and qualifying. The update worked well.”
‘Not a Foregone Conclusion’
Despite Verstappen’s victory in Imola narrowing the gap to championship leader Piastri, Waché is not getting ahead of himself for the upcoming Grands Prix. The unpredictable RB21, with its ‘very narrow operating window’, does not give the Frenchman confidence that Verstappen can easily repeat his performance on other circuits. “We won in Japan, but we were completely outclassed in Bahrain and Miami,” explains Waché. “It’s clearly not a foregone conclusion in this sport. McLaren still has a good car, so we need to keep working hard.”
