Max Verstappen is almost giving up on titles while Christian Horner claims that a correlation issue is causing problems for the RB20.
“Last year we had a great car, which was the most dominant car ever, and we basically turned it into a monster,” said the three-time world champion after the Italian Grand Prix on Sunday.
“The team needs to make a lot of changes to the car,” he added, as we went from a dominant car to an undriveable car in just six to eight months.
The decline of the RB20 has coincided with McLaren’s improvement, and although Ferrari has also made progress, Mercedes’ performance seems to be dependent on the track.
While some, including Zak Brown, point to behind the scenes drama at Red Bull, Horner has mentioned correlation issues as the reason for the car’s problems.
“With the pace we had today, both championships will be under pressure,” Horner told reporters at the end of the race. “We need to turn the situation around quickly.
“This circuit has exposed the deficiencies we have in the car compared to last year,” he added. “We have a clear issue that has been highlighted this weekend, and we need to address it to avoid putting ourselves under pressure.”
The low downforce requirements at Monza have highlighted the RB20’s issues more than at other circuits.
“The balance issues are more apparent without as much downforce,” said Horner. “There’s a disconnect in balance that’s not working.”
Horner specifically mentioned qualifying, where Verstappen couldn’t improve on fresh tires, but could on scrubbed tires.
“It’s all about balance,” he explained. “There’s a lack of connection between front and rear, causing understeer.”
“Recent upgrades have disconnected the front and rear of the car,” he continued. “Our wind tunnel data doesn’t show this, but the track does.”
“We need to address this issue so we can trust our tools,” he added. “For now, we have to rely on track data and past experience.”
View our Sunday gallery from Monza here.
