Red Bull technical brain sees McLaren colouring outside the lines: 'It's more than grey'

Winter is coming for Formula 1 and with it, the opportunity to reflect on the season that is now drawing to a close.

During the Qatar Grand Prix, RacingNews365 spoke to Pierre Wache, Red Bull's technical director and the man behind Max Verstappen's drivers' championship-winning machinery.

Last season, Wache was widely praised for his efforts with the RB19. This season, however, the Frenchman has been criticised, with Red Bull suddenly struggling to take victories, having won 21 of 22 grand prix in 2023.

What was it like for Wache to suddenly find the RB20 struggling to win, and did the success of all-conquering RB19 mean its successor was more harshly judged, despite being a car that nevertheless carried Verstappen to the drivers' championship?

"We are here to do a job and to develop the car as the best we can. It’s very frustrating for us that we don’t win at each race. I think everybody in the paddock has the same vision," he replies.

"We are here to win. It doesn’t help us, last season in terms of inside the team. The motivation, some people arrive in the team young and only had wins. The only loss they had was Singapore last year. And for this type of people to know that is a win is exceptional to have, a championship even more.

"It’s what the people forget, it’s so difficult to have something. Ask Max [Verstappen], he won races in 2016, he had to wait until 2021 to win the world championship," he points out, eager to clarify that after all these years in Formula 1, he still realises how unique it is to win at all in the king class of motorsports.

"It’s difficult and you need all the planets aligned, the right competition, some part of performance, some part of operation, some part of luck.

"And good police [stewards, he laughs]... It’s a problem when you are winning every time. So police is more looking at you than others. When you have brothers, the small one can do whatever they want," adds Wache, continuing to laugh.

But, at the same time, an important point in his view seems to have been touched upon. 

Do you think next year it will be a topic again, because we are finding the last margins of this generation of F1?

"I think it's so difficult to develop that I think some grey areas are so attractive as an engineer. When you see the rear wing of McLaren, I'm sorry, but it's more than grey, and they use it for multiple races. Because, without that, Baku, they will not win. Even our constructors' championship will be completely different."

But is that then frustrating, or interesting because you're an engineer?

"I don't dismiss that. Just as an engineer, you also have to respect the rules. In terms of technical regulations, the difference compared to sporting [regulations] is you have to prove that you are legal.

"When you have a radar camera between two points, the police can see you only at these two points and you can go at very high speed between, if you don't have average speed [checks]. The technical regulations are different - you have to prove that you are correct."

That's part of the game, right? That's also Formula 1.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. It's part of the game but you also have some limits. If the police doesn't see it, doesn't mean it's legal. What happened to Ferrari in the past and everything, that more than the limit. It's frustrating for us, when the police doesn't do their job."

So this year you feel was a little too much, it was a little bit over the line?

"Yeah, quite. At one point, it's how it is. What you want is a playing field the same for everybody, and we [Red Bull] play with this playing field. A good idea is a good idea, but when it's over the playing field, it's not correct."

During the season, the FIA intervened a number of times by coming up with new technical guidelines. Given the competition between the top four teams, which will undoubtedly continue into 2025, the FIA will able to get ready for an interesting season.

After the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the remaining articles from the interview with Pierre Wache will appear online at RacingNews365.