Monaco is usually very good for Red Bull. Daniel Ricciardo won in 2018, Max Verstappen in 2021 and 2023 and Sergio Perez in 2022. The Milton Keynes team has always felt metaphorically like a fish in royal waters, but now, the expectations are always lower.
This seems crazy when you look at the results of the last three years. Red Bull has consistently won the prestigious race, even under current ground effect regulations, but things have not gone smoothly.
Take last year for example, when Verstappen had to use his exceptional talent to take pole position and beat Fernando Alonso. Apparently this wasn't in the cards until that magical moment. He somehow found three-tenths in the final sector to secure first place.
This takes some getting used to, because Red Bull always travel to Monaco with high expectations. In the previous era, especially between 2016 and 2021, the team was known for its so-called “car comb”, which allowed it to create a lot of downforce.
Normally, a weaker Renault or Honda engine would have been an Achilles' heel for a dominant Mercedes on many circuits, but in Monaco, Red Bull managed to hide that handicap. In fact, downforce was composed and decisive on the tight road circuit.
Results? Beautiful offers. In fact, Ricciardo should have already won in 2016, had he not failed at the pit stop. Red Bull was not prepared for the tires and Lewis Hamilton escaped with victory. In 2018, the Australian achieved the goal, after which Verstappen scored for the first time in 2021. Monaco was a real Red Bull Circuit.
Dominance is over
Now, as crazy as it sounds, it's different, the free training sessions for the current version are the low point. In his own words, Verstappen was moving around “like a kangaroo”, which resulted in a fourth-place finish in the representative's second practice session.
However, secretly, the conflict in Monaco begins as early as 2022, when current ground effect regulations are introduced. Well, Red Bull won in 2022 and 2023, but in reality the car was not always good enough.
In the first year, for example, Ferrari was faster than Red Bull, but got rid of them through poor strategic decisions in the rain. Last year, as mentioned, Verstappen's talent came to the fore, including in the race.
The Dutchman drove brilliantly and kept his cool in the rain. However, Alonso's Aston Martin may well be the quickest car in qualifying, although of course that doesn't take into account in hindsight. And again this season, Verstappen does not appear to have the upper hand at the moment.
How is that? The current Red Bull car doesn't like curb stones and bumps at a distance. Last year this became painfully clear in Monaco and Singapore in particular. One of Red Bull's weapons is to generate a lot of downforce on the ground.
To do this, the car must be set low, but this is not possible on Monte Carlo's bumpy street circuit. This means that Verstappen loses downforce, and on top of that, the Red Bull is no longer necessarily the fastest car in slow corners. The advantage in recent times has been mainly taken from the efficiency of the vehicle.
Verstappen had the following to say about Red Bull's struggles in Monaco after free practice sessions. “It's the worst possible result of the weekend so far. It was impossible for us to take some of the bumps and curb stones.
He continued: “Every time we do this, we lose a lot of time because the handling of the car is not good. This prevents us from progressing faster. I also have no idea how to start solving the problem, because it is a matter of design.” “You can't solve this overnight.”
Conclusion? Red Bull's lead in Monaco has gradually disappeared in recent years. Where the team could have won the title in the emirate, it has now become a major challenge and perhaps even one of the team's weaknesses.
Add to that the rapid development of McLaren and Ferrari and you can only conclude that it will be a great battle in Monaco. Run the game.
