Red Bull handed 'game-changer' message as F1 development war intensifies

Sébastien Buemi has revealed that Red Bull's recent major upgrade package would have been a "game-changer" had the RB22 been in its current condition at the start of the season.

The Swiss driver was on simulator duty for the Milton Keynes-based outfit during last weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, which saw Max Verstappen secure his second podium of the campaign.

Verstappen was a genuine pole contender but crashed at the end of qualifying and started fifth before recovering to second after an excellent battle with Lewis Hamilton.

While the fight was exciting, it cost the Dutchman valuable time, with Buemi confident the four-time world champion had the pace to win on Red Bull's home turf.

Asked if the upgrades performed well, Buemi told RacingNews365 during an interview: "It did work well, and I think that Max could have won the race. 

"It's just unfortunate what happened in qualifying. I think he would have started further up and, starting further up, maybe would not have had that fight with Lewis. 

"Then, I guess, he would have had a better opportunity to win the race. Clearly, I think he was fast enough to win, so it's pretty good."

F1 development war

Red Bull's upgrade package in Spielberg was a major step in the right direction, with Buemi having felt the improvement in the simulator.

Verstappen was able to match Mercedes for the first time this season, marking genuine progress compared to the start of the year in Melbourne.

The opening rounds have seen the 28-year-old fall 98 points behind Kimi Antonelli, with him not having had a car capable of challenging for victory until Austria.

Introducing upgrades is essential this season, being the first under the new power unit regulations; however, as Buemi put it, the real challenge is ensuring that an upgrade delivers a greater gain than those introduced by rival teams.

Discussing how much better the car felt on the simulator with the upgrades, Buemi explained: "Yeah, a bit. It's hard to say, you know. Obviously, they've made a good step with the weight and a good step in terms of aero, but it's different tracks and people were bringing updates. 

"Ultimately, it doesn't really matter how much you improve the car; you've got to improve it more than the others because everyone's improving their car and everyone's making decent-sized steps. 

"You just need to be a bit ahead of them because the car is way better than it was at race one. If we would have had this car at race one, it would have been a game changer, but that's not the case. 

"Everyone's just trying to develop, so you just need to be developing a bit better than the others. So again, ultimately, whether you gain two tenths or three tenths, if the others have gained five and you gain four, the car will feel better, but you'll still be worse off."