Red Bull has been well ahead of its competitors in the last couple of years, only for this to get emphasised even more over the course of the current season.
In the first five races, the Red Bull driver pairing of Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have managed to get a 1-2 finish in four Grand Prix.
However, the Milton Keynes-based outfit may just have provided its rivals with the necessary intel to rescue their falterings campaigns and focus on the right elements as far as their car development is concerned.
While Red Bull’s powerful DRS system is undoubtedly a factor that has helped them overpower their rivals, Tom Clarkson has pointed to another factor that has made the car’s pace unparalleled.
The F1 Nation host believes rivals need to see how Red Bull technical chief Adrian Newey has been so focussed on this one element and see it as a hint of how to bridge the gap.
“I maintain that Adrian Newey spending more time focused on the suspension of this year’s Red Bull is such a hugely significant bit of intel. That’s where the performance is,” Clarkson said.
“It’s all about maintaining a smooth ride height as low as possible with these cars. Red Bull have nailed it – no-one else has – and that is the difference in performance between the cars.”
Red Bull team principal Christian Horner was recently seen gloating about how far ahead his team was compared to the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari and while some felt that was a touch unnecessary, former world champion Damon Hill believes it is a legitimate question.
“Christian is someone who likes to rub salt in the wounds – he doesn’t tend to say things without knowing the impact of his words. But saying that everyone else has underperformed, he’s right,” Hill said.
“Red Bull, that team has produced an absolute peach of a car. They’ve exploited whatever loopholes there are in the regulations so that it’s a legal car that is beautifully put together.
“I was watching Max [Verstappen] in Miami drive that thing and thinking, ‘That guy can do anything with that car’. It’s so beautifully balanced. But everyone else has underperformed, he’s right.”
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