Christian Horner Reveals Red Bull’s Data Dilemma: Trust Issues with Tools Amid Performance Slump

Christian Horner acknowledges that Red Bull is facing a "trust" problem with their tools due to inconsistencies in the data.

Christian Horner has stated that Red Bull is experiencing difficulties relying on their equipment due to problems detected in their data from the later part of the 2023 F1 season.

Kicking off their defense of the double world championship title with a solid performance, Red Bull secured victories in seven of the initial 10 races and seemed to have an unbeatable car once more. However, they have not clinched a win in the six races since the Spanish Grand Prix held in June.

The current world champions have encountered persistent balance and mechanical issues with their RB20, and despite a series of recent upgrades, the team has had difficulty resolving these problems.

Max Verstappen secured a sixth-place finish in the Italian Grand Prix at Monza on Sunday, while his teammate Sergio Perez ended up in eighth. According to Horner, Red Bull has been conscious of problems dating back to the beginning of 2024, and even as far back as the United States Grand Prix last year.

Horner mentioned that he believes the problem has existed for a while, noting that an analysis of the data revealed issues with the characteristics early in the year.

"Clearly, others have improved, and as we've pushed our setup to its limits, the problem has become apparent. Looking back at the data, there were a few races last year, such as in Austin, where we began to notice this issue."

"We're aware that this is an issue we need to tackle, and the team at the factory is concentrating fully on resolving it."

He mentioned, "I believe that if you look closely, some of these problems were present earlier in the year, even when we were securing victories by a significant margin of 20 seconds."

"I believe that the latest improvements have added stress to the car and caused a disconnection between the front and rear. Although our wind tunnel tests don't indicate this, the results on the track clearly do."

"It's about addressing that issue, because, clearly, if you can't rely on your tools, you need to fall back on track data and past experiences."

Max Verstappen's lead in the drivers' championship has been reduced to 62 points with eight races left in the season. Meanwhile, Red Bull's advantage over McLaren in the constructors' championship has decreased to just eight points.

After Sunday's race, the Dutch driver emphasized that Red Bull's chances of securing both world titles are in jeopardy unless significant changes are made to the car.

Horner admitted that Red Bull is feeling the "pressure" to make improvements.

He mentioned that grasping the problem is crucial and suggested that while there might not be a complete solution, certain measures could be implemented to tackle parts of it.

"We currently have a two-week interval before the races in Baku and Singapore, followed by another short break we can utilize between the Singapore and Austin events. This period is very important."

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