The RB20 from last year began strongly, particularly in Max Verstappen’s hands, but was eventually outpaced by McLaren and, to a lesser extent, Ferrari. Verstappen and his teammate Sergio Perez both struggled with persistent balance issues, with Perez’s performance being particularly disappointing.
For the 2024 RB21, the Milton Keynes-based team focused on improving the car’s balance and setup range without sacrificing speed, having gained a clearer understanding of how to tackle the underlying problems after the Italian Grand Prix in September.
After analyzing the early long-run data from the first day of testing in Bahrain, Red Bull seemed to have a slight advantage over McLaren, though it’s important to note the typical uncertainties of winter testing.
When asked by Motorsport.com about Wednesday’s performance, Marko expressed confidence, noting that the RB21 had been particularly strong on long runs.
“The long runs were very competitive; it was the fastest,” he said. “The car is more predictable and responds to changes in the usual manner. I believe the issues we faced last year are significantly improved, or possibly fully resolved.”
Max mentioned that the car is now more complex and well-constructed, and that any adjustments made are producing the desired reactions from the car.
“On his fastest lap, there was a small issue, so it could have been even quicker,” he noted. “However, overall, the long runs were very impressive, and our tire wear was excellent. The car has a wider setup range and is more predictable for the drivers.”
When asked about the performance of other teams, he said, “McLaren was also very consistent and fast, as was Mercedes. We expected more from Ferrari, but with two more days of testing, we’ll see how things unfold.”
Marko also shared that Verstappen’s new teammate, Liam Lawson, has made a strong start with the Red Bull A-team, although they are still working on optimizing the car’s performance with medium tires.
“He did a good job,” Marko commented. “However, when he switched from hard to medium tires, he wasn’t able to make up time.”
He explained further, “We also made a change to the car that didn’t work, and Liam felt it was the wrong decision. While everyone else was gaining three to five tenths, he only managed to gain one tenth.”