“We’re getting there, we’re not the same yet” – Red Bull still playing catch-up with F1 rivals

Laurent Mekies, Red Bull Racing Team Principal

“So, to see us this weekend qualifying six tenths away from pole on Friday and less than two tenths away from pole on Saturday is a big indication of the size of the progress. What number is the correct one, we don't know. But compared to where we were, it's something much better than anything we have been able to show this year.”

“Race pace was strong, confirming the good sign shown in quali. Not strong enough for P1 and P2, but perhaps able to put us in a fight between P3, P4 and P5. So again, some things that we had not shown so far this season. And it's credit to everyone back in Milton Keynes for such an important step forward.”

Mekies’ analysis is spot on. Miami marked the first time a Red Bull got any closer to pole position than Isack Hadjar’s 0.785s deficit in Melbourne; this was the second time the team was ‘best of the rest’ behind Mercedes.

Hadjar’s performance at Albert Park was partly down to finding a decent set-up, while the car was out of its ideal operating window in China and Japan, where it was outqualified by the other three top teams as well as Alpine’s Pierre Gasly.

In Miami, Red Bull was aided by a comprehensive upgrade package featuring an updated floor, engine cover, sidepod inlet and front and rear wings among other parts, which delivered what the team expected, technical director Pierre Wache confirmed to Motorsport.

As far as race pace was concerned, Verstappen’s 44-second deficit under the chequered flag hardly was representative of his potential; he finished lap one in ninth following his spin, and his sole pitstop during the early safety car period dropped him down to 16th, setting him up for a mammoth 51-lap stint on hards, during which he performed a whopping 10 overtaking moves.

Regardless, there is no overconfidence at Red Bull, which has further upgrades coming up – including weight-reducing items which may be introduced near the Austrian Grand Prix in late June.

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“Don't get me wrong, we have not cracked everything we wanted to,” Mekies said. “So us against us, there is more we want to extract out of our package. And then we are conscious that the development race will be on and the competition will bring stuff in the next race.”

Additional reporting by Stuart Codling

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