Credits: IMAGO / IPA Sport

The ever-increasing completion has got Red Bull under pressure and they’ve responded with upgrades at the Spanish GP. These planned changes for Barcelona are to study the recently exposed RB20 better. The Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya is a great track to experiment and test the cars. This is the team’s idea as revealed by chief engineer Paul Monaghan.

The untouchable and vastly superior RB20 did not perform as per expectations in Monaco and Canada. The Red Bull machinery as it turns out, does not like bumps and kerbs. Owing to this reality, the team introduced a plethora of changes to the car.

Now, The most striking change for Barcelona is on the unique sidepod where they have increased the inlets size. According to Monaghan, it’s to tackle specifically the Barcelona circuit and for better maneuverability with the setup as they manage the competition.

As quoted by RacingNews365, he said, “In Spain, the aerodynamics are so sensitive that you can just put two places lose on the grid if you are wrong. Remember that we are in a fierce battle with the rest and our options to change the car are not as free as they used to be. So if we can play the game, especially on a track like Barcelona, ​​then we do that”.

The Austrian team is hoping for a better response and more flexibility with the car with these changes. However, come Austria, the bodywork will undergo further changes and again for Silverstone.

The current objective is temperature management which is exactly why the inlet is being expanded and contracted based on track temperatures. Barcelona will reveal more and build a base for the next two races of the tripleheader. In fact, Red Bull is going above and beyond to tackle the challenges.

Red Bull conduct secret tests with Max Verstappen to understand the RB20 better

Red Bull are no longer breathing easily and sitting with their hands behind their back. This was proved by their actions ahead of the Spanish GP. The team troubled Max Verstappen over the weekend to conduct secret tests in Imola. The Dutchman drove his 2022 challenger, the RB18, to take a closer look at the difference. The differences between the current challenger RB20 and RB18.

The team is trying to understand what are the positive and negative differences between the two cars. Apart from the data, the contrast will be highlighted based on personal feedback from the three-time champion. The results of the last three races have sparked the drastic measures from the Milton Keynes outfit.

Only time will tell whether they will be able to replicate RB18’s positives and introduce them to the current car. For now, Red Bull is doing everything it can to gain an advantage amidst the increased competition.