Verstappen: Red Bull needs more upgrades to stay ahead

Red Bull's Formula 1 dominance is facing its first real test since the dawn of the ground effect era in 2022, as the sport's sliding scale aerodynamic testing regulations begin to show their impact.

Three-time world champion Max Verstappen is urging his team to maintain their aggressive upgrade strategy in response to the narrowing performance gap.

The Milton Keynes-based outfit has been the team to beat since 2022, with Verstappen shattering records for most wins in a single season en route to back-to-back titles.

However, the 2024 season has presented a markedly different landscape at its midpoint, despite Verstappen's continued lead in the drivers' standings.

Increased competition

This year has seen both Ferrari drivers, the Mercedes duo, and McLaren's Lando Norris all taste victory.

The struggles of Verstappen's teammate Sergio Perez have further opened the door for a genuine title battle in the constructors' championship.

The shift in competitive balance can be attributed, at least in part, to F1's sliding scale regulations.

Introduced alongside the budget cap, these rules aim to level the playing field by allocating more aerodynamic testing time to lower-ranked teams.

The system grants the bottom team 45% more testing time than the championship winners, with 5% increments separating each of the 10 teams.

Verstappen's perspective

When questioned about the impact of these regulations on Red Bull's supremacy, Verstappen acknowledged the challenge:

"Naturally, it will always help to have more time but that's how the rules are, right? To try to slow down the winning team."

The Dutch driver recognized the shifting perspectives depending on a team's position:

"When you are the ones chasing you are happy when it is like that and, when you are the ones leading and being caught up during the season, you look at it like it is not what you want."

"But that's how the rules are written, everyone agrees with it and you just have to deal with it."

Push for continued development

Despite Red Bull's strong start to the season, which saw Verstappen finish 25 seconds ahead of his nearest non-Red Bull rival in Bahrain, the three-time champion is pushing for continued development efforts.

The team introduced an upgrade package at the British Grand Prix, although its full potential was masked by damage Verstappen sustained in Q1.

Reflecting on the effectiveness of the upgrades, Verstappen stated,

"We can see the gain. The weekend was a little bit hit and miss with trying a few bits on the car and of course, the weather doesn't help."

"But when you look at it, if we didn't have damage with the floor, we would have definitely been in the fight for pole. So that is a positive."

He emphasized the need for ongoing innovation:

"We need to keep pushing, we need to keep bring bits - and I know they will come and hopefully they will be a little bit better than the upgrades at the other teams."

Refusing complacency

While Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has previously warned about the law of diminishing returns given their strong start under the current technical regulations, Verstappen remains adamant about the need for continuous improvement.

"I refuse to believe so, because then you just get lazy,"

Verstappen asserted.

"I am confident that everyone within the factory, they are always pushing flat out to try and bring bits of performance to the car, but there are a lot of smart people in other teams that are also doing the same thing."