F1 aero expert explains where Red Bull went wrong in Singapore DISASTER

max verstappen in Singapore — Photo: © LAT Images

F1 Analysis

F1 aero expert explains where Red Bull went wrong in Singapore DISASTER

Former Red Bull aero expert Shubham Sangodkar runs the rule over Red Bull's nightmare Saturday

Shubham Sangodkar

Saturday 16 September 2023 20:42 Updated: 22:04

The undisputed Red Bull dominance in the 2023 Formula 1 season came to a juddering halt with the team's disastrous qualifying performance in Singapore on Saturday.

Let us look at the qualifying (Q2) data of Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz and see where Red Bull went wrong at Marina Bay!

Article continues under video

The Red Bull wasn't in the zone this weekend, losing time throughout the lap to the Ferrari – and not just in qualifying, even though that's what we're looking at right now.

The RB19 did not seem to have any grip through the corners, and the drivers clearly lacked confidence in the car, which was surprisingly unstable and sliding around in the corners.

Let's take a closer look at the specific corners where Red Bull lost a considerable chunk of time to the Ferraris.

Turn 1

Red Bull looked to have sorted out the issues of FP2, which saw the team's drivers were braking significantly earlier compared to the Ferraris. In Q2, both the Ferraris and Red Bulls had similar corner entry and braking patterns.

The difference was that the Red Bull was sliding all around, and got a bad exit compared to the Ferrari out of the corner, leading to a significant time loss.

Turn 9

The same pattern as in Turn 1 is clear again here. The Red Bull is on the brakes longer than the Ferrari, and sliding all around the corner again.

Turn 10

Put simply, this corner is disastrous for the Red Bull. The tyres seem to have overheated from all the sliding throughout the lap, leaving them struggling.

The Red Bull carries lower entry and mid-corner speed throughout the corner compared to the Ferrari, and the instability of the RB19 platform this weekend is clearly visible here.

Conclusion

The Ferraris were a force to be reckoned with this weekend, strong on the brakes, traction, and with a stable platform giving the drivers the confident to push to the limit. The Red Bulls seem to be unable to get their tyres in the zone and lack grip overall, meaning they lose time throughout the lap to the Ferraris.

Shubham Sangodkar is a former F1 Aerodynamicist with a Master's in Racing Car Design specialising in F1 Aerodynamics and F1 Data Analysis. He also posts aerodynamics content on his YouTube channel, which can be found here.