Red Bull: 'Problems with Verstappen's DRS we did to ourselves'

During qualifying for the Spanish Grand Prix, Max Verstappen encountered problems with his DRS, which deprived him of the chance for pole position. Red Bull Racing thought they had solved the problems, but also during the race the Dutchman struggled with problems with his DRS. Then in Monaco there were no problems, but Baku will be the real test.

Red Bull has inflicted DRS problems on itself

In Barcelona, Verstappen had a lot of trouble. For many laps, he was stuck behind the Mercedes of George Russell. The Dutchman could not pass him because he could not use his DRS on the straights, one of the few places where overtaking is possible in Spain. It resulted in several outbursts on his radio. Despite the problems, Verstappen managed to win the race, but his team clearly had to work to fix the problem.

According to Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan, the team's problems with the DRS were self-inflicted, but a hard lesson has been learned from this, he tells Motorsport.com. In the week between Spain and Monaco, the team then did everything possible to solve the problem, something Monaghan says they succeeded in doing. The British engineer is confident that lessons have been learned from the mistakes in Spain. According to him, the team should accept the mistakes and move on again.

Baku will be the real test for Red Bull

The fact that the DRS worked properly again in Monaco is no guarantee that there will be no problems in Baku next weekend, according to Monaghan. The conditions in Azerbaijan are completely different from those in Monte Carlo. On the Asian street circuit, top speeds of around 340 kilometers per hour are achieved, with the DRS being opened at a speed of around 300 kilometers per hour. In Monaco, this was at around 160 kilometers per hour. 

According to Monaghan, Baku, therefore, presents very different challenges for the team. Because the DRS in Baku is opened under very different aerodynamic pressure, Red Bull cannot rest on its laurels, according to him. Nevertheless, Monaghan is confident that the problems will be definitively resolved in Spain.