Home Sport F1 pundit claims to have found the cause of Red Bull’s drop in performance compared to the opposition

F1 pundit claims to have found the cause of Red Bull’s drop in performance compared to the opposition

Sport — 17/08/2024 · 0 Comment

F1 pundit Peter Windsor recently claimed he knows the reason behind Red Bull’s recent dip in performance. He explained that the Austrian team’s decline could be linked to it not being allowed to run a special brake system.

The defending world champion started the 2024 F1 season on the front foot but other teams like Ferrari, McLaren and even Mercedes have gradually crept up and challenged it.

Max Verstappen’s team faced fierce competition from its rivals especially after the Miami GP. As of now, seven different drivers from four teams have won the Grand Prix in the first half of the 2024 season. Amid Red Bull’s own slight decline in performance simultaneously, Windsor took his guess as to why the defending world champion is slipping.

The F1 pundit claimed on his X account that the team was using cross-brake inertia valves in the rear brakes of its cars. When it was asked to remove them before Miami, it started experiencing various issues like brake failure in the Australian GP and struggle to turn in the Chinese GP, as per Windsor.

“Looks as though RBR might have been running a clever rear cross-brake inertia valve before they were obliged to remove it before Miami,” Windsor said. “This could explain Max’s RR brake drama in MEL and his turn-in grief since China.”

The cross-brake inertia valve claimed by Windsor to have been used by Red Bull could have worked by delivering different brake pressures to the left and right tires, especially while turning for a corner. This could have given the RB20 more grip while turning.

As of now, there is no official confirmation that the Milton Keynes-based team was using the special braking system.

FIA updates technical regulation and bans Red Bull’s rumored asymmetrical braking system

Though it is not officially confirmed that Red Bull was using an asymmetrical braking system to get an on-track advantage, the FIA recently banned its use in the latest F1 technical regulations.

It was decided at F1’s commission meeting before the summer break that a provision in the brake system section of the regulations will be added, clearly stating that the asymmetrical braking pressures in the brake drums will no longer be allowed. This change was made under Article 11.1.2 which says:

“The brake system must be designed so that within each circuit, the forces applied to the brake pads are the same magnitude and act as opposing pairs on a given brake disc. Any system or mechanism which can produce systematically or intentionally, asymmetric braking torques for a given axle is forbidden.”

Red Bull is still in the lead in the Constructors’ Championship with 408 points on the standings, but McLaren in second place (366 points) and Ferrari in third (345 points) are closing in on it.