Red Bull is confident it will have a fix for its aerodynamic issues by Formula 1’s Spanish Grand Prix at the latest, following some encouraging results in testing at Bahrain.
A challenging Bahrain Grand Prix meant Red Bull could not challenge Mercedes or Ferrari, with Max Verstappen a distant fourth and team-mate Pierre Gasly in eighth.
Red Bull noted that its RB15’s “tricky” handling is related to what appears to be a very narrow set-up window.
The team believes its problem is down to a collection of small details and trialled some solutions in the post-Bahrain GP test, with Verstappen topping the first day before Dan Ticktum took over the following day.
Red Bull motorsport advisor Helmut Marko told Autosport that a solution will not take long.
“In Bahrain we identified a weakness in the aerodynamics,” he said.
“We think we know the cause and have already implemented amendments.
“Verstappen’s time on Tuesday was quite OK.
“It’s not a conceptual problem, but a detail thing – and it’s not for the first time it has happened. But the wind in Bahrain multiplied it.”
Asked if Red Bull knew the cause and when it could apply a fix, Marko said: “We do know the cause, yes.
“But the extent to which we can correct this for China is not clear as of today. At the very latest for Barcelona it should be done.”
Marko added the weakness in its car is a consequence of pre-season testing at Barcelona.
Red Bull lost then-new parts when Pierre Gasly crashed on the penultimate day of testing.
“It is all a consequence of us running an interim version of our car at the final day of testing in Barcelona,” Marko said.
“We did not have the complete package available after Gasly’s crash.”