Going into 2024, there were two unanswered concerns regarding the second Red Bull Formula 1 team: what would be its name, and how good would be its driver lineup?
It’s hard to predict how the second will ever be resolved, but the first has already been addressed.
Although Yuki Tsunoda has improved as a driver over the past few seasons, how fast is he exactly? As a teammate, Daniel Ricciardo used to be difficult for Max Verstappen; later, at Renault, he decimated Nico Hulkenberg and Esteban Ocon.
Then came the McLaren era, when his hard-earned reputation was destroyed in a car that simply could not be driven the way his muscle memory demanded. Ricciardo’s F1 career appeared to be coming to an end when rookie Oscar Piastri took his spot, matching Lando Norris more closely than Ricciardo had done in the two years prior.
Following an outstanding test in the Red Bull at Silverstone, Ricciardo received his AlphaTauri lifeline, with rookie Nyck de Vries being rated as unacceptable. There were some encouraging indications upon his return, but nothing truly noteworthy. If we limit our analysis to the sessions where a meaningful comparison could be established, he qualified 0.12 seconds slower on average than Tsunoda. (Yes, Tsunoda finished fourth on the grid in Mexico, but he was receiving power unit penalties and didn’t really try to qualify at that time.)
It’s not really evident where the drivers are in relation to the front. Were both drivers merely a few tenths off the pace in the late-season AlphaTauri? Or two drivers pushing a passable automobile to its breaking point? Or a lousy vehicle driven by mediocre people?
Red Bull is not the kind of company that would be at ease with not knowing the answers to these queries, since it may have an effect on the entire company, particularly in light of Sergio Perez’s two disappointing seasons on the starting squad. It will undoubtedly want to know if it should hire someone from outside or promote someone from within if it decides to replace him in the future.
It affects more than simply the starting squad, too. The smaller RB team may have a great possibility this season because of its considerably closer technical ties to Red Bull Racing. But how would it know if its drivers were taking full advantage of the new car’s Red Bull-lite potential?
There would be just one extremely easy and unquestionably conclusive method to find out. The world’s top driver is contracted with Red Bull, and the two teams use the same simulator. Why can’t they have Max Verstappen operate the vehicle in the simulation?
Nothing at all. In fact, competitors are allowed to make test facilities and equipment available to other competitors, according to Article 17.2.8 of the technical regulations.
Regardless of whether Verstappen outpaces Ricciardo or Tsunoda in speed, Red Bull has a solution.
No other squad enjoys the benefit of being able to compare itself so directly to the F1 gold standard. Not using it would seem churlish.
