F1 News
Waché responds to Verstappen’s statements: 'That will still be there'
- Nicole Mulder
For Red Bull Racing, there is a lot of pressure on the F1 season opener in 2025, with many wondering if the balance problems that hindered them in 2024 have been fixed. Will Max Verstappen and brand-new teammate Liam Lawson be able to fight for wins consistently again? Technical director Pierre Waché stresses how crucial it is that the balance problems are fixed, as they cause a chain reaction of even more difficulties.
It is known that Red Bull have a lot of work ahead of it in the winter break before the first race of the season at the Australian Grand Prix. Speaking to Motorsport.com, Waché says the main area for improvement for the new season is balance, a major issue for the Austrian team last season. But the Frenchman explained that the balance problems they had then resulted in further problems in several areas.
Waché: 'Balance problems set off a chain reaction'
"If you have a balance problem, you try to tune the car at some point to counteract the balance problem. But if you base the whole tuning on counteracting a balance problem, you create even more problems. You have to think about tyre wear, discomfort over the bumps and problems with ride comfort," Waché said. All these points were huge issues that the RB20 experienced, with Verstappen complaining several times over the team radio in 2024.
Waché explains that the balance problems have a snowball effect, with the technical director citing traction problems on corner entry as a key issue. In that feeling, according to Red Bull's technical chief, it makes no sense to look at the traction itself, but the focus should be on entering the corner because the problem has a deeper cause.
Fixing the balance problems will therefore be the main focus for Red Bull heading into the new F1 season. "It doesn't mean we won't focus on the rest, don't get me wrong, but we needed to focus on the balance issues first," Waché explained.
Waché on Verstappen's comments
Verstappen spoke out several times last year about the problems with his RB20, not only with the balance, but also the feeling in the car when driving over bumps and kerbstones and through slow corners. "Those things will still be there," admits Waché. "We are trying to improve those things too, although all the understanding starts with the balance problem and the setup used to correct that."
This article was written in collaboration with Olly Darcy
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