Paul Monaghan expresses shock as rivals quickly challenge Red Bull’s anticipated dominance.
Red Bull’s Chief Engineer, Paul Monaghan, acknowledged that the Milton Keynes-based team did not expect to be caught up by competitors so swiftly. He recalled predictions that had promised an easy domination extending into 2024 and even 2025.
“I remember seeing comments claiming we wouldn’t be caught by 2024 or 2025. That wasn’t quite accurate, was it?” Monaghan queried. “So, did it happen a bit quicker?”
“I think that’s a personal view. Some might say it should have taken longer. Personally, I was a bit surprised by how quickly they caught up with us. But it’s not something we can influence.”
“I can’t change the speed of our closest competitors; we can only change the speed of our car. This forces us to react, as you have seen, because we are modifying the car. And we are ready to do so as soon as possible, because we must.”
The engineer conceded that the development handicap for top teams has accelerated the tightening of performances: “I think it helps the others a bit. They do a bit more testing and they discover things, maybe that assists them.”
“The only way to go about it would be to give us more time for aerodynamic testing and take it away from others, and see how the relative pace of the cars evolves. Having more is an advantage, it’s about whether you find more and if you realize that the car is the next piece of the puzzle, isn’t it?”
“Having research doesn’t mean you will make your car faster, but it gives you the opportunity to make it faster. We’ll see how it plays out over the next ten races.”
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Monaghan Shocked as Competitors Close Gap on Red Bull Monaghan Shocked as Competitors Close Gap on Red Bull
