26/05/2024
NEWS STORY
As Monaco looks to follow Singapore as one of Red Bull's bogey tracks, Helmut Marko cites an issue with correlation.
From the very start of the weekend both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez have complained about the handling of their cars, the world champion referencing a "go-kart running without a suspension" as his car was "not absorbing kerb strikes or bumps".
Indeed, the three-time world champion subsequently claimed that kerbs have been an issue for Red Bull's cars since 2022, but such was the team's dominance that rivals had been unable to take advantage.
Speaking to Sky DE, Helmut Marko admitted that simulator runs - of which there have been many over the last week or so - have not shown up the issue.
"The season started with the idea that it would be a great success," said the Austrian. "Then there was the first disappointment in Australia...
"But the fundamental problem is not the tracks," he added. "It is that the correlation between the simulator and the track does not work. In the simulator we drive over the kerbs without any problems.
"However, to use an expression from Max, the car bounces like a kangaroo, and that is the problem. And it has already been shown in the set-up for Miami and partly in Imola.
"So we have to start with that," he added. "But we have to ensure that when we get to real circuits, such as Barcelona, that we hopefully regain our old form there."
"It's a fundamental problem so it's not something that will be fixed within weeks," admitted Verstappen, who, when asked if he anticipates similar problem at forthcoming races, replied: "Spain has no bumps so that's probably better for us, but some tracks with bumps where you have to ride kerbs, there are definitely a few tracks not ideal for us but also probably some races suit our car more.
"We know where we have to work on. There's one clear direction where we are still lacking quite a bit of performance and already if we can fix that our car can be better on every single track."
Check out our Sunday gallery from Monaco here.