Verstappen’s Imola Test Highlights Red Bull’s Kerb Riding Woes
In a bid to address their car’s kerb riding issues, Red Bull’s star driver Max Verstappen conducted a private test in a 2022 Formula 1 car at the Imola circuit this week. This comes as the reigning world champion prepares for the upcoming Spanish Grand Prix.
After completing promotional work in France on Tuesday, Verstappen traveled to Imola on Wednesday to put the RB18 through its paces. The team was looking to get a better understanding of the car’s performance characteristics, particularly its behavior when navigating the circuit’s kerbs – an area that has posed challenges for Red Bull in recent races.
“In Imola, we won, but we only won that because of Max and his qualities,” said Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko. “We had some serious problems with the handling there.”
The team’s chief engineer, Paul Monaghan, explained that the test was aimed at providing Verstappen with a reference point to better assess the current RB20’s strengths and weaknesses. By comparing the 2022 car’s performance to an older model, the team hoped to gain insights into the root causes of their kerb riding issues.
“When you’re trying to assess the strengths and weaknesses of a current car, his reference is the current car,” Monaghan said. “And you might say, ‘Oh, well, in previous years we’ve had this, we’ve had that.’ But have we really? Because we haven’t run them at the same time.”
The team acknowledged that resolving the kerb riding problem is no easy task, but they are determined to find a solution.
“If it was easy, we might have already done it,” Monaghan added. “It’s not going to be easy.”
As the GT racing season heats up, Red Bull’s focus on addressing their car’s weaknesses could prove crucial in their pursuit of victory. Verstappen and the team will be hoping the insights gained from the Imola test will help them stay ahead of the competition on the forthcoming Spanish Grand Prix circuit.
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