Red Bull, the reigning champions, has been facing stiff competition in the 2024 championship. Ferrari and McLaren have picked up the pace, challenging Red Bull’s dominance. During the Monaco Grand Prix and practice sessions in Montreal, Red Bull’s struggles were evident. James Allison wasted no time taking a jibe at the team, asserting that their upgrades were more like downgrades.
Christian Horner hits back at James Allison saying Red Bull's upgrades are downgrades:
"Well, even with our downgrade, we managed to beat their upgrade. So, it was a rewarding race to win."
[https://t.co/e9S49d56Ag] pic.twitter.com/zw1HZeFIzR
— RBR Daily (@RBR_Daily) June 10, 2024
However, Christian Horner had the last laugh. After the Montreal event, where Max Verstappen secured an impeccable victory, Horner fired back at Allison. He pointed out that even with their supposed downgrade, Red Bull managed to beat Mercedes’s upgrades. The RB20 proved its mettle on the track, leaving no room for doubt.
Christian Horner hits back at James Allison saying Red Bull’s upgrades are downgrades: “Well, even with our downgrade, we managed to beat their upgrade. So, it was a rewarding race to win.”
James Allison’s Take: Red Bull’s Upgrade Looks Like a Downgrade
After a dominant start to the season, Red Bull Racing introduced an upgrade package at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix last month. However, Mercedes’ technical director, James Allison, believes that this move might have backfired. He suggests that Red Bull’s recent upgrade appears more like a downgrade in performance.
“My guess is that as soon as there’s a decent range of cornering speeds, they will be useful again,” Allison said of Red Bull. “But it does look as if their upgrade was a downgrade, so fingers crossed that will really f— them up.
“Where we are now seems to be better than where we were two races ago,” he added. “Hopefully it will be somewhat better in a couple of races from now.
Despite the upgrade, Red Bull has won just one of the last three races. Max Verstappen secured victory at Imola in the upgraded RB20, but his margin was the smallest of the season, edging out McLaren’s Lando Norris by just 0.7 seconds. Allison anticipates that Red Bull will regain its form as F1 returns to circuits that better suit their car, starting from the Spanish Grand Prix onwards. However, if they’ve taken a wrong turn in development, the championship leaders could become vulnerable.
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