Red Bull faced challenges at the Imola circuit, especially in navigating the kerbs and the second sector. The team had to work hard overnight to understand what was causing issues for their drivers, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. Both the trackside and factory teams burned the midnight oil to find solutions that could salvage their weekend.
On Friday, McLaren and Ferrari were ahead of Red Bull in terms of one-lap pace. Even Mercedes posed a threat during the long runs in the second practice session. Although Red Bull made some improvements by Saturday’s final practice, their car still didn’t feel comfortable to drive. This made qualifying a nerve-wracking experience as they continued to make adjustments to find the right setup.
However, there’s a saying in theater that Red Bull hoped to apply: “it’ll be alright on the night.” And indeed, it turned out well for them. Verstappen secured pole position, surpassing both McLarens, while the Ferraris struggled to keep up. Verstappen expressed relief, admitting that after Friday’s struggles, he would have been satisfied with a top-five result in qualifying.
One of the areas where Red Bull faced difficulties was Acque Minerali. The balance of their car made it challenging to navigate the double right-hander. Sometimes, the car felt too front-heavy, causing Verstappen to fear losing control.
Drawing from insights from the trackside team’s debriefs and simulator work at the factory, Red Bull made changes to the car for the final practice session. However, new problems arose. Verstappen explained that despite trying different setups, the car still didn’t feel right. But through perseverance and teamwork, they managed to overcome these challenges.
As qualifying approached, Red Bull hadn’t fully solved the balance issue, but they found something almost as good: where the balance wasn’t. Verstappen noted that despite the lack of reference going into qualifying, the car felt significantly better, allowing him to attack corners with more confidence.
Balance is crucial in Formula 1, and it can vary based on drivers’ preferences for understeer and oversteer. Verstappen prefers his car to lean towards oversteer but found it unsettling when the balance shifted too much towards the front wheels. Perez also highlighted the importance of confidence in attacking the kerbs and medium-speed corners, emphasizing the impact of balance on performance.
Despite their efforts, Perez didn’t have the opportunity to showcase the improvements during qualifying. However, both drivers emphasized the complexity of getting the setup right at Imola, especially considering the various challenges posed by the circuit’s layout and conditions.
