The initial rigorous assessment for Red Bull Ford Powertrains, which came after a prior promotional event for Racing Bulls at Imola, largely unfolded as anticipated. Liam Lawson triggered a red flag at the commencement of the midday interval, yet managed to complete 88 circuits in his Racing Bulls vehicle.
Max Verstappen did not participate in driving on Monday; instead, his colleague Isack Hadjar navigated the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya for 107 rotations. The French competitor also registered the quickest time at 1m18.159s, though lap timings hold minimal importance during this early phase of pre-season trials.
“The session proved to be quite fruitful. We remarkably completed a greater number of laps than projected. Operations proceeded rather seamlessly. We encountered only minor problems, which is fairly remarkable given it was our inaugural day using our proprietary engine,” the Red Bull pilot remarked following his initial day in the RB22.
Mark Rushbrook, the director for Ford Performance, had previously informed Autosport that the concluding stage of engine refinement primarily centered on operability. In this regard, Hadjar expressed reserved positivity after his initial outings: “Truthfully, it was quite satisfactory for an opening day. It doesn’t seem vastly different from what I’m accustomed to from my rookie season. Gear changes, both up and down, functioned adequately. Naturally, some adjustments are still necessary, but it has performed robustly.”
The dependability of the DM01, an homage to Dietrich Mateschitz, holds the utmost importance currently, and both Red Bull contingents are content concerning this aspect. This sentiment extends to Racing Bulls, even though Lawson was responsible for the day’s third red flag incident.
“We accumulated a considerable number of laps today. Clearly, we gained substantial knowledge. We encountered a handful of minor difficulties during the process, which were anticipated for the first day. However, I believe we are in a reasonable position,” Lawson stated.
Isack Hadjar, Red Bull
Photo by: Formula 1
“Furthermore, truly, the sole problems we faced were related to safety measures, not any inherent malfunctions. As for the power unit, its performance has been exceptionally strong up to this point. Yet, once more, it’s challenging to ascertain our standing in relation to other competitors. Nevertheless, we will assuredly continue to gather knowledge in the forthcoming days.”
A majority of teams have conveyed their intention to concentrate exclusively on reliability throughout the shakedown period, with an increased emphasis on performance-oriented trials planned for the subsequent two weeks of winter evaluations in Bahrain.
Power Unit to Undergo “Refinement” Prior to Melbourne Event
Mattia Spini, the primary race engineer for Racing Bulls, largely conveyed a favorable impression regarding his observations of the proprietary power unit.
“The power unit is functioning appropriately. Again, it isn’t flawless, but we didn’t anticipate perfection. We definitely have areas that require attention, but our collaborative efforts are highly effective. Both Red Bull Powertrains personnel and the engineers here with us, as well as at the facility, maintain a very transparent and forthright approach. The rapport between the two factions is truly strong. In essence, we operate almost as a single unit, and we initiated our work exceptionally well, and I am confident we will persist in that trajectory. We intend to meticulously adjust the power unit for the inaugural competition.”
Concerning Lawson’s halt, Racing Bulls elucidated that his vehicle ceased movement during a practice launch at the commencement of the midday recess: “The incident on the starting grid held no significant importance. It simply pertained to specific safety configurations we implemented in the car as a precautionary measure to prevent any harm. That was the cause. We simply adjusted those settings, and by the afternoon, everything was performing impeccably.”
In the days ahead, the unequivocal aim for both Red Bull contingents is to accumulate extensive mileage.
Photo by: Formula 1
“Our intention is to ensure the vehicle’s dependability. Evaluating its performance will not constitute the main objective of this trial. We plan to dedicate more attention to performance in Bahrain. However, without a doubt, we seek an initial impression and fundamental comprehension of it to commence our efforts. We aim to increase track time and foster familiarity with the fresh automobile,” Spini concluded.
In Barcelona, every squad is permitted to operate for three out of the five allotted shakedown days. Given that both Red Bull and Racing Bulls participated on Monday, a contrast to McLaren and Ferrari, each team now possesses two further days for data accumulation.
