F1 News: 'Risks' with 2024 Red Bull may not pay off

(GMM) Red Bull’s technical director, Pierre Wache, admits “risks” the team took with its design of the 2024 car may not have paid off.

Max Verstappen of the Netherlands driving the (1) Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 on track during practice ahead of the F1 Grand Prix of Spain at Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on June 21, 2024 in Barcelona, Spain. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) // Getty Images / Red Bull Content Pool

For much of the year, the earlier-dominant Formula 1 team was marred by a leadership power struggle, including a scandal involving boss Christian Horner and a female employee.

Following the woman’s appeal, the investigation has now been closed.

“All stages of the appeal process have now been concluded, with the final outcome that the appeal is not upheld,” Red Bull GmbH, the team’s parent company, said in a media statement.

“The internal process has concluded.”

During the process, Adrian Newey was reportedly uncomfortable about the situation – and he ultimately decided to quit Red Bull. He is now strongly linked with a move to Aston Martin for early 2025 and beyond.

At the same time, Red Bull and Max Verstappen’s dominance faded at the same time. Technical director Pierre Wache was asked by Auto Motor und Sport if he thinks the team’s decision to change direction with the basic concept of the ultra-dominant 2023 car for this year was a mistake.

“We assumed the competition would catch up quickly,” the Frenchman answered. “So we took some risks. Now it looks like it didn’t pay off as much as we had hoped.

“But this risk was necessary,” Wache, 49, added. “We have the oldest wind tunnel, so the detailed work suffers. We knew the others would optimize their concepts sooner or later. So we needed a radical step.

“Taking risks is the mentality of this team, but I can’t judge yet whether it was a good or bad move. Perhaps at the end of the year we will come to the conclusion that it would have been better to develop the concept we already had,” he said.

Wache, however, revealed that Red Bull will introduce “a few more upgrades” in the second half of the season to try to maintain its lead in both championships.

Red Bull’s F1 consultant Dr Helmut Marko laments that the team cannot work on its problems during the August break shutdown. “That means the big solution cannot come in Zandvoort,” he told his latest Speed Week column.

“We are brainstorming intensively and have various ideas. But I cannot say yet what we will implement and how,” Marko, 81, added.

“But we were the fastest in Austria and also in Spa, so we are complaining at a high level,” the Austrian said.