A Red Bull showed clear signs of recovery at the Miami Formula 1 GP. Despite Max Verstappen finishing fifth, the performance did not reflect the team’s real progress.
Read more F1 and FIA seek alternative dates to replace Bahrain and Saudi Arabia GPs
The result was impacted by a mistake right on the first lap and an early pit stop, but the car’s pace was considerably better than in previous rounds. The improvement is significant because it indicates that the team has once again reduced the gap to its direct rivals.
Compared to the Japanese GP, where Verstappen did not even reach Q3, the scenario in Miami was more encouraging. The gap to the leaders dropped by more than 1s in Saturday’s qualifying, even with McLaren and Ferrari also introducing important updates.
Besides new parts, such as revised sidepods and a new floor, the team identified a problem in the steering system that had been affecting the car since the start of the season. Verstappen revealed that he had felt something wrong since the shakedown in Barcelona.
Read more F1: South Africa advances towards possible return to the calendar
Technical director Pierre Wache explained to Motorsport.com that “first, we had to be sure there was a problem. Then, identify where it came from, and that takes time. And then, fix it.” According to him, the team completely replaced the steering box and other support components, which significantly improved the car’s feel.
Wache also admitted the delay in the solution. “I’m sorry we didn’t solve it earlier. We tried several things that didn’t work. Some parts also took time to arrive, but I think the engineering team did a very good job to achieve this.”
Read more F1: Mekies explains how Verstappen avoided disqualification in qualifying in Miami
