Red Bull plans to regain dominance by 2026 with a modern wind tunnel, while focusing on securing the 2024 championships through strategic car developments and key personnel adjustments.
A new wind tunnel is expected to help Red Bull regain full competitiveness in the future, according to Dr. Helmut Marko, the team’s principal F1 consultant.
Amid the scandals of early 2024, which preceded a loss of dominance, the departure of several top executives, and rampant speculation about the future, Max Verstappen’s father, Jos, claimed to have “warned” about the situation early on if Christian Horner remained in charge.
Marko, however, insists that it’s entirely “natural” for Red Bull to struggle to retain high-level members who are offered higher positions and more money by rivals.
“It’s a natural evolution when you’re as successful as we are, that people are poached,” he told Formel 1.
“And, of course, there is always only one person who can fill those leadership roles.”
The most recent departure is strategy director Will Courtenay, who will become McLaren’s new sporting director, but Marko insists he can be easily replaced.
“In this case, it’s Hannah Schmitz. What we offered Courtenay, he wasn’t really interested in. He got a more attractive offer in terms of position and financially.”
Marko also called on those who remain at Red Bull to stick together and focus clearly on maintaining Verstappen’s lead in the drivers’ standings.
“It’s clear. We need to work together to win this championship.”
“We also need to be able to build a competitive car. I’m optimistic, and I believe that when Max wins again and Sergio (Perez) finishes third or fourth, things will look different,” Marko added, referring to McLaren’s lead in the constructors’ championship.
Mathematically, a second-place finish for Verstappen and a win for Norris in every remaining Grand Prix would be enough for the drivers’ title, but Marko remains skeptical.
“We can only do it if Max wins at least two more races. If he does, things will look much more promising for the constructors as well.”
The Austrian noted that Red Bull has raised its game since the slump at Monza but admitted that “it was a step in the right direction, but the improvement so far is not enough.”
“We’ve worked very hard to improve, but the real performance difference won’t be seen until Austin. We’ll have something different there,” he added, referring to updates to the car.
“But I agree with Horner – Monza was more than a wake-up call. It was the worst race since… I can’t even remember when. In terms of strategy, pit stops, and speed, we were far off the mark.”
“At least with these updates coming, we shouldn’t have minor changes ruining the performance, or temperature differences of six or seven degrees affecting us. Max just needs a car with good front-end grip.”
As for Verstappen, fueled by his highly critical father, speculation is rampant that he could trigger an exit clause at the end of next year and move to Mercedes or Aston Martin F1.
But Marko insists that Red Bull Racing remains a team for the future for Verstappen.
“A modern wind tunnel will help us. In the meantime, we will have to rely on the quality of our developments with the tools we have. Our current wind tunnel dates back to just after World War II. Naturally, that comes with its disadvantages. It takes a long time to raise the temperature.”
“The wind tunnel is simply outdated. We are far from being at the cutting edge of the latest technology, so I hope our new wind tunnel will be operational by 2026.”
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Red Bull’s Recovery Plan: New Tech to Secure 2024 Glory Red Bull’s Recovery Plan: New Tech to Secure 2024 Glory
