Red Bull Discovers ‘Disconnect’ in RB22 During F1 Mexico GP Practice

Challenging Friday for Red Bull at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez

Red Bull has conceded that it faces a significant setup workload following Friday’s Formula 1 practice sessions for the Mexico City Grand Prix. Max Verstappen concluded his running in fifth place, sitting three tenths of a second away from the benchmark pace. However, the Dutchman’s program was heavily compromised following an on-track collision with Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson, an incident Verstappen felt was avoidable given that Lawson is currently competing to secure his future seat. Following an investigation, race stewards issued both drivers a one-place grid penalty.

The timing of the clash was particularly costly for Red Bull, as Verstappen had already sat out opening practice while Ayumu Iwasa took the wheel of the RB22. That left Verstappen with only the second practice session to dial in the car amidst the low-grip conditions of Mexico City’s high-altitude circuit. The collision ripped aerodynamic parts straight from the Red Bull machine, hampering performance for the rest of his Friday laps.

The bargeboard, or whatever this thing is called, was broken off. So of course you lose downforce because of that, Verstappen said when asked by Motorsport.com about the extent of the damage.

Verstappen Battling Balance and Grip Under Active Aero Rules

Despite the deficit in downforce caused by the missing bodywork, the gap separating Verstappen from the pacesetting Ferrari remained relatively tight. Nevertheless, the four-time world champion expressed dissatisfaction with the overall handling and responsiveness of the car, pointing out that the high altitude combined with active aerodynamics regulations has made the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez particularly treacherous.

It was not bad, but there’s still a few things that I want to improve, he added. Of course, I only had one session and I think it’s not amazing for everyone out there in terms of grip.

So whatever you feel yourself, you then look at the onboards of everyone else and I think no one is really having a good time in terms of driving. So yeah, I just need to find a little bit more pace in our car to make a little jump up.

The combination of thin atmospheric air and active aerodynamic elements requires an extreme degree of patience in the cockpit, which Verstappen admitted takes away some of the driving joy around the venue.

It’s even more sliding, you need to be very patient with your driving, Verstappen explained. Personally, it’s not the most fun, but you also know that it’s a different challenge. You just need to try and understand it more.

Pierre Wache Pinpoints Setup Disconnect and Tyre Overheating

Analyzing Friday’s data, Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache identified a distinct disconnection between the front and rear axles of the car across different phases of cornering. Wache explained that resolving this mechanical balance is essential before qualifying, though the car’s damaged components skewed their evaluation of the true baseline.

At the moment, the balance is a little bit disconnected between the front and the rear – the front in the braking phase and at the apex and afterwards the rear while turning. It’s clearly a little bit disconnected and we are trying to fix that for tomorrow, Wache said when asked about the main limitations by Motorsport.com.

I think it’s an overall grip level that we were losing. Based on our analysis, it was balance damage at the front and rear. It’s clear that it affects the overall level of grip that you feel and the confidence that you can have in the car. Let’s see tomorrow when the floor will be repaired, if the car is better or not.

It’s clearly in the set-up, where I think we’ll try to fix it. It’s also about finding a balance between the short run and the long run every time. If you try to fix this short-run balance issue, then we have to make sure that it doesn’t damage the tyres.

Tyre management poses a severe challenge in Mexico City, particularly in the final sector. As Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur highlighted, performance in the slow corners through the stadium section is primed to dictate qualifying and race outcomes. Wache noted that changing track temperatures obscured the true picture of race tyre life.

The tyre is clearly overheating in the last sector, Wache admitted. The main problem is that the track temperature reduced by more than 10 degrees in FP2. The long runs were not very representative of what we will see during the race on Sunday.

We have to be very careful with that aspect, so the tyre degradation will be higher and maybe the medium will be better [on Sunday].

Why This Matters

The competitive hierarchy in Mexico City puts Red Bull under direct pressure from Scuderia Ferrari. Ferrari’s strong low-speed corner performance and high-altitude turbocharger characteristics make them the team to beat at the Autodromo Hermanos Rodriguez. With both Verstappen and Lawson carrying one-place grid penalties into Sunday, track position will be at a premium.

Yes, I think since the beginning of the year they are clearly on top of the game in the low-speed corners. They clearly have a lot of downforce for the low-speed corners, Wache said. Let’s see what we can extract. I think we are not far and I hope we can challenge them.

Verstappen echoed Wache’s assessment regarding the Italian squad’s advantage on low-speed layouts heading into qualifying:

They’ve been quicker already many sessions in the last few weeks. This is a track where you need even more low-speed performance, so it should normally play into their hands, the four-time world champion said.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Max Verstappen run only one practice session on Friday?

Verstappen missed the first practice session because Ayumu Iwasa drove the Red Bull RB22 in his place. Verstappen returned to the cockpit for Free Practice 2, which ended up being his only track time of the opening day.

What penalties were handed out after the Verstappen and Lawson incident?

The race stewards investigated the contact between Max Verstappen and Racing Bulls driver Liam Lawson and issued a one-place grid penalty to both drivers for the Grand Prix.

Why is Ferrari considered the favorite in Mexico City?

Ferrari enters the weekend as the favorite due to their proven aerodynamic performance in low-speed corners throughout the season, which suits the stadium section of the circuit, alongside the advantage of a smaller turbocharger operating at extreme altitude.