Shocked by tire poker: Red Bull debacle in Spain!

Shocked by tire poker: Red Bull debacle in Spain!

Max Verstappen obviously has had enough of the current situation in Formula 1. After the disappointing conclusion at the Grand Prix of Spain, where the team had to give up their mission to defend the title, the world champion clearly expressed his resentment. This was the second defeat in a row for Red Bull, who originated in a unsuccessful tire poker. In the previous race in Monaco, Verstappen only came to fourth place because there was no safety car on the track towards the end of the race.

The Grand Prix of Spain was particularly frustrating for Verstappen. Only 10 laps before the end there was a safety car when the engine of Kimi Antonelli (Mercedes) burst and the driver remained in the box. This gave most drivers the opportunity to switch to soft tires, while Red Bull Verstappen equipped with a hard tire. The resentment of the Dutch driver was said about radio: "Really now? What's that?", Reports OE24. This choice of tires significantly contributed to his dissatisfaction.

the racing scenario

After the race was restarted by the Safety Car, further difficulties for Verstappen occurred. After a short agreement from the route, it was overtaken by Charles Leclerc. In addition, Leclerc collided easily with George Russell, which also complicated the situation. In a further incident with Russell, Verstappen not only became fifth, but also received a 10-second penalty. Ultimately, he took the 10th place and left the boxes without comment.

The Red Bull tire strategy was particularly critical, which, as the data show, section below average compared to other teams. While Ferrari emerged as the most successful team in tire management in the 2024 season, Red Bull had to deal with higher tire wear. In the analysis of the technology partner Paceeteq it was found that Red Bull ended with an average of 0.083 seconds per round when breaking tires and was therefore one of the worse teams.

The context of tire management

As part of the entire season, the performance of the vehicles is crucial, but also tire management. The data show that Ferrari recorded the lowest tire breakdown, while Red Bull and Mercedes had second best tire management. In 2023, Red Bull was the most tire -gentle car, but now her place has deteriorated compared to the other teams. A negative development for Red Bull indicates in particular on routes with high tire wear, as can be observed in Bahrain or Japan.

Verstappen and his team are facing a crucial time in which you have to make adjustments quickly to be competitive again in the fight for the World Cup titles. In view of the challenges, both in the tire strategy and the vehicle performance, it remains to be seen how Red Bull reacts to the latest setbacks and whether the duo will be released and the team succeeds in freeing themselves from this difficult situation.