Verstappen refuses to accept 'hit and miss' Red Bull will get 'lazy'

Max Verstappen has refused to accept the idea that Red Bull could get "lazy" as it seeks diminishing returns on its F1 car.

After a 2023 season in which he won 19 of 22 races, Verstappen has claimed seven victories in the first 12 races of '24, but Red Bull are facing renewed challenges from McLaren, Mercedes and Ferrari. 

The team has won two of the last five races, to the British Grand Prix, with the car concept of the RB20 close to being maximised in the third season of ground effects, leaving smaller gains to be found on upgrades.

Red Bull had a minor floor package at Silverstone, where Verstappen would ultimately finish second to Lewis Hamilton, but the RB20 did not appear immediately on the pace, as widely expected

"The weekend was just a little bit hit and miss, we were trying a few bits with the car," Verstappen explained to media including RacingNews365 before the race.

"If we didn't have the damage to the floor, then I would have definitely been in the fight for pole, so that is a positive, and we need to keep pushing. 

"We need to keep bringing bits and I know that they will come - and hopefully they will be better than the upgrades of other teams. 

"I refuse to believe [you can't find more performance] then you get lazy. 

"I'm confident that everyone within the factory is pushing flat out to try and bring bits of performance to the car, but clearly, there are a lot of smart people in other teams that are also doing the same thing."

Wind-tunnel testing changes

Also hampering Red Bull is the fact that the aerodynamic testing allocations have reset, allowing Mercedes in particular more development time.

In the sliding scale of wind-tunnel and CFD runs, Red Bull receives the least as it is top of the Constructors' standings with 224 wind-tunnel runs and 1,400 CFD simulations.

In contrast, Mercedes, who sat in fourth place on the June 30th reset date have 272 runs in the wind-tunnel and 1700 CFD simulations. 

Stake, as last in the Constructors' receive 368 wind-tunnel and 2300 CFD runs, with the allocations set to reset once again on January 1st 2025, reflecting the final '24 Constructors' standings. 

Reflecting on the changes, Verstappen felt Red Bull just had to 'get on with it.'

Naturally, it would always help to have more time, but that's how the rules are, to try and slow down the winning team," he said.

"Honestly, when you are the ones chasing, you're happy it is like that and of course when you are the ones leading, and you're being caught up during the season, it is not what you want.

"But that is just how the rules are written, everyone agreed with it and you just have to get on with it."