Cars

Red Bull truly showcased one of the most remarkable turnarounds during the Qatar weekend. World champion Max Verstappen went from a seemingly "terrible" car in the sprint to achieving pole position in qualifying. His RB20 had left him baffled by the extreme lack of grip and balance issues during the sprint race. As he and team-mate Sergio Perez chased a disconnection problem between the front and rear axles, Verstappen struggled to find words to describe the car's poor performance. "I just had no grip, the balance is terrible," he told Viaplay. "On cold tyres, you suffer even more. It felt like a rally car. I think I would have been better off competing with my father [Jos] at Spa in a rally - we would have had a better chance of being competitive. It’s really terrible, it was undriveable."

Transformative Work in the Gap

However, a miracle did occur. In the short three-hour gap between the end of the sprint and the start of qualifying, the RB20 was completely transformed. Intense efforts by the engineers at Red Bull's Milton Keynes factory and on-site in Qatar paid off as they found the right set-up. The improvement didn't come from a dramatic change in wing settings, as that had been ruled out after Perez tried a more loaded front wing in the sprint. Instead, it was all about mechanical settings. Adjustments to the suspension and ride provided a more compliant platform, boosting driver confidence and allowing Verstappen to set a lap that made him the quickest.

Surprising Progress

Max Verstappen, who will start the Grand Prix from second after a one-place grid penalty demoted him behind George Russell, said that neither he nor the team could have anticipated just how significant this tweak would be. "After the sprint, it didn't look so good," he said. "But we also surprised ourselves with how much we found with the set-up. That's something we need to look at - why there was such a big difference." Despite the car changes seeming relatively minor, Verstappen admitted that he didn't think it would lead to a major leap in competitiveness. "[The tweaks were] not so big that it made me think 'oh, now suddenly we can compete'. And neither did the team," he added.

Mid-Season Struggles Overcome

Red Bull has made remarkable gains with its RB20 since hitting a low point at the Italian Grand Prix. The issues there were more aero-related, but valuable upgrades came in time for the United States Grand Prix, which have since transformed its pace. Verstappen took pole for the sprint there, won in Brazil, and was fastest again in Qatar, showing that its mid-season struggles seem to be a thing of the past. When asked when he last felt the car to be as good as it is now, Verstappen said, "That has been a long time ago. Austria, actually. There the car was really good over one lap, and then in the race not so much. But that was actually the last time when I thought 'wow, that was pretty good'. And now, the gap is obviously very small, but at least enough to go for pole."