Writing off Pink Bull not often ends properly in System 1. These assuming its acquisition of the failing Jaguar crew on the finish of 2004 would lead to failure discovered that the laborious manner, as did Lewis Hamilton who, in his youthful days, ill-advisedly dismissed it as merely “a drinks firm versus McLaren, Ferrari historical past”.
Tempting as it’s to extrapolate final yr’s stoop from crushing dominance early on to profitable simply twice within the closing 14 races, it’s dangerous to imagine the Pink Bull RB21 will prolong that troubled trajectory. Amid final week’s give attention to pre-season favourite McLaren’s launch, and Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari set to dominate the headlines round Tuesday’s F1 75 occasion in London, low-profile Pink Bull will lie quietly in wait able to reclaim what it sees as its rightful place on the high of grand prix racing.
There are some large inquiries to reply whether it is to offer Max Verstappen the equipment able to a record-equaling fifth-consecutive drivers’ championship. Before everything, has it actually recovered from the lack of Adrian Newey, a course of that began lengthy earlier than his departure was introduced final Might? He’s admitted he felt more and more marginalized, the consequence of a technical crew that was pissed off F1’s greatest design identify inevitably obtained the lion’s share of the credit score for the squad’s success desirous to make a reputation for itself. Among the many causes he gave for leaving final yr was a revealing comment on the High Performance Podcast that “they wanted to point out that they might do it on their very own, so I believed properly OK let’s give them the possibility”.
Newey additionally acknowledged underlying issues with the automotive even throughout the all-conquering 2023 marketing campaign, wherein Pink Bull received 21 out of twenty-two races, that the brilliance of Verstappen masked.
“That [problem] carried into the primary a part of ’24, however the automotive was nonetheless fast sufficient to have the ability to deal with it,” mentioned Newey in a latest interview with Germany’s Auto Motor und Sport. “It was one thing I used to be beginning to change into involved about, however not many different individuals within the group appeared to be very involved about. From what I can see from the skin, and that is no criticism, however I believe they only, maybe, by lack of expertise saved moving into that very same path. And the issue grew to become an increasing number of acute, to the purpose that even Max discovered it tough to drive.”
Pink Bull was combating steadiness issues by 2023 and the primary a part of 2024, however had sufficient total efficiency to compensate – till McLaren rolled out its upgrades in Miami. Alexander Trienitz/Motorsport Pictures
Newey combines design genius with a pragmatism that may elude sensible technical brains. One in all his nice strengths is accepting real-world issues and taking corrective motion to eradicate limitations with out being too wedded to the present pathway. Pink Bull’s failure to take heed of what Newey noticed, even when he was nonetheless within the fold, is a lesson within the worth of not ploughing the identical furrow within the perception that philosophy trumps actuality. There have been different issues, together with an ageing windtunnel facility that crew principal Christian Horner likes to level out is a relic of the Chilly Battle – well-equipped internally, however temperature-sensitive and within the strategy of being changed with a brand new facility – however Newey highlights a weak spot in mindset.
The important thing to Pink Bull’s preliminary success below the present floor impact rules from the beginning of 2022 was a suspension design – Newey’s work on the Pink Bull RB18 – that gave a big diploma of platform management. These vehicles must run low and comparatively stiff to create important downforce from the venturi tunnels with out operating into porpoising issues, and Pink Bull achieved this brilliantly. Harnessed to a bodywork design that maximized the sidepod undercut, in stark distinction to the cumbersome outwash geometry of the Ferrari at the moment, and sophisticated underfloor ‘topography’, this gave it a big efficiency benefit. However because the automotive advanced and downforce was added, steadiness limitations more and more manifested themselves within the center phases of 2023. This carried over into the next yr.
A mix of Pink Bull’s experience issues and the tendency of this era of vehicles to have low-speed understeer and high-speed oversteer, meant it was pushing up towards a ceiling of efficiency, changing into trapped within the maelstrom of chasing a workable steadiness. In ’23, and early, ’24, Pink Bull had such a efficiency benefit that this wasn’t an issue. Compromises may very well be made to compensate for that, however the limitation nonetheless existed. Operating the automotive softer sacrificed important downforce, and subsequently efficiency, however as rivals closed in, Pink Bull now not had that margin to play with. And when McLaren launched its main improve at Miami final Might, the sport modified.
It took a very long time for Pink Bull to return to phrases with how its seemingly impregnable place had been breached. Not till Monza in September did the penny drop, resulting in a corrective package deal for October’s United States Grand Prix that helped Verstappen to victories in Brazil and Qatar late on. Pink Bull wasn’t again on high then, however the losses had been stemmed. Crucially, it was McLaren’s versatile entrance wing, which allowed important entrance load for sluggish corners however used the deflection to again off the wing when at larger speeds, that made all of the distinction.
In any case, with out that flexibility, important load for sluggish corners means much more for sooner corners – doubly so, given the entrance wing itself runs in floor impact owing to its proximity to the bottom. So a automotive with a robust entrance finish at low pace could have issues with the entrance of the automotive being pinned within the quick stuff and the rear not having the grip to steadiness it up. Pink Bull ended up with large issues in reaching a workable steadiness. McLaren, in the meantime, might run low with a fast automotive that was essentially the most convincing all-rounder for the steadiness of the season, not hitting the experience or steadiness issues Pink Bull did.
Pink Bull tried to battle the political battle, however this was unsuccessful. The crew felt that the flexi-wings of McLaren and Mercedes, which additionally made positive aspects on this space, had been exterior of what was permitted because of its personal previous experiences with such designs and FIA clampdowns. Pink Bull has lengthy set requirements for working in these gray areas, however the line it understood had been drawn appeared to the crew’s high brass to have moved. There was a sense contained in the crew this was a handy reinterpretation given the harm inflicted on F1 by its unrelenting dominance. Regardless of the motive, inside the price cap, Pink Bull couldn’t exploit what it noticed because the redefined restrict final yr. This yr it may, albeit with the caveat that the FIA has issued a technical directive that slashes the permitted entrance wing flexibility by 50% –from 15mm to 10mm – from the ninth spherical of the season in Spain onwards. It stays to be seen whether or not that can assist or hinder Pink Bull.
Verstappen is pleased for now, however he won’t keep that manner if Pink Bull hasn’t made up the bottom it misplaced to its rivals in 2024. Pink Bull Content material Pool
Pink Bull subsequently has clear potential for enchancment with its new automotive on this space, which means it ought to have the ability to unlock extra efficiency and modify its suspension traits to have one thing nearer to what McLaren achieved. There’s no motive why it shouldn’t be within the thick of the battle, supplied the teachings of final yr have been discovered and utilized. If not, then the questions on whether or not it actually can thrive post-Newey will resurface.
Even when the Pink Bull RB21 is a possible title winner, there are different considerations. Liam Lawson’s arrival rather than Sergio Perez is an unconvincing transfer, as with simply 11 F1 begins over two stand-in runs below his belt he has but to reveal he has the potential to be the robust quantity two Pink Bull wants. The crew banked on him as an improve on Perez, and he most likely shall be, however whether or not that’s sufficient to make Pink Bull a constructors’ championship menace in what’s anticipated to be a detailed battle is up for debate. An efficient teammate would even be a helpful ally for Verstappen’s championship push, particularly given the power of McLaren and Ferrari’s line-ups.
There’s additionally the query mark over Verstappen’s future. He flirted with a transfer to Mercedes for this yr, and is a goal for Aston Martin, the place he might hyperlink up once more with Newey and Honda in ’26. Whereas below contract till the top of ’28, there are all the time methods to flee and Pink Bull dangers shedding its prize asset if this yr is something just like the expertise of a lot of ’24. And even when the automotive presents Verstappen common wins, the looming rule modifications in ’26 and the introduction of Pink Bull’s first in-house energy unit – and bear in mind, it doesn’t have any of Honda’s IP to make use of for this – creates one other query mark that might persuade Verstappen to defect to a Mercedes-powered crew.
The worst-case state of affairs for Pink Bull is alarming: struggles in ’25, the lack of Verstappen, problem in bringing in a brand new top-liner to exchange him and the potential for a battle for engine efficiency in ’26. Add to that the unsteady political state of affairs that manifested itself on the high of Pink Bull final yr and it’s straightforward to foresee one other lengthy fallow interval for Pink Bull, because it endured within the seven years after its first spell of dominance wherein it might solely snipe for the odd win right here and there. There’s even a doomsday state of affairs some have floated that if Pink Bull struggles subsequent yr, Verstappen might even stroll away throughout the season for a while off – not out of the query, given the ability he yields within the driver market. The choice is Pink Bull thrives this yr, the brand new energy unit is a triumph, Verstappen stays and the struggles of the second half of final yr change into a long-forgotten reminiscence.
That’s what makes the following yr or so a big inflection level within the Pink Bull story. As historical past reveals us, it has a knack for confounding adverse expectations, so amid the joy about McLaren, Ferrari and Mercedes pre-season, don’t disregard what continues to be F1’s incumbent dominant drive.
