Red Bull’s Formula 1 chief engineer Paul Monaghan is confident that his team has fixed the recurring DRS problems, but stresses that the high speed at which the DRS will open in Baku will be the ultimate test.
At the Spanish Grand Prix, world champion Max Verstappen had to abort his last flying lap in qualifying, leaving pole position to Charles Leclerc because his DRS collapsed on the start and finish straight. At first, the Dutchman even suspected engine damage due to the lack of top speed.
Red Bull initially thought they had found a quick fix between qualifying and the race, but the problem resurfaced on Sunday, preventing the Dutchman from overtaking Mercedes driver George Russell on track after his driving error.
Red Bull: “DRS problem was self-inflicted”
Thanks to a sophisticated Red Bull strategy and the engine failure of Leclerc’s Ferrari, which had been leading up to that point, Verstappen was still able to win the Spanish Grand Prix. However, this did not change the fact that Red Bull needed to get the DRS problem under control.
Ahead of the Monaco Grand Prix, Red Bull engineers went to work to fix the problem once and for all. According to chief engineer Monaghan, the team has now learned its “painful lessons” and put in place a permanent solution.
“Our DRS problem was self-inflicted, if we’re being honest,” says Monaghan, who also suggests Red Bull may have cut corners too much in trying to trim the overweight RB18 down to minimum weight.
“There is a sigh of relief after the work that some very clever people have done in terms of root cause analysis and controls. They have done a phenomenal job in a very short time. It’s a challenge that varies from circuit to circuit , considering the speed at the opening of the DRS and the track conditions.”
DRS is deployed in Baku at 300 km/h
“I’m confident and a lot happier with what we learned in Spain,” said Monaghan. No DRS problems were seen at Red Bull in Monaco, however in the Principality this is opened at very low speeds after the tight last corner, allowing less drag on the rear wing before opening.
The upcoming race in Baku poses a completely different challenge with top speeds of around 340 km/h on the 2.2-kilometer start and finish straight Air exerts a lot of force on the rear wing.
As such, Monaghan concedes that this weekend’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix will be the definitive test of whether Red Bull’s confidence is justified. “Baku presents us with other problems,” he says.
“The opening speed was about 160 km/h in Monaco, but it’s 300 km/h in Baku. So it’s not really about the weight of the wing, but whether it has enough power to open at that aerodynamic load “, explains the Red Bull chief engineer.
“I think it would be foolish to rest on our laurels. We know what we did wrong. It was our job to fix it and so far everything is fine.”