“Diminishing Returns Await” – Christian Horner Preps Red Bull for 3 Key Challenges in 2024
Red Bull’s future in Formula 1 looks set to face three key challenges that the team’s president Christian Horner is preparing to tackle in 2024. After a standout season in 2023, with Red Bull achieving a 95.4 per cent victory rate and Max Verstappen leading more than 75 per cent of all races, Horner admits the landscape is changing.
In a recent interview, Horner expressed concerns about the concept of “diminishing returns.” He predicts that with fixed regulations, the team will experience a reduction in earnings as they reach the top faster than others. After gaining a significant advantage in 2023, he now faces the challenge of maintaining the lead throughout a season that includes 24 Grands Prix.
There is uncertainty around the team that could shake Red Bull’s dominance. Horner states that the teams’ performances are expected to consolidate, but it is unclear who will lead this progress. Could it be McLaren, Ferrari or Mercedes? Horner emphasizes the uncertainty by emphasizing that the competition is constantly evolving behind them.
One of the main challenges facing Red Bull is the limited time constraints for wind tunnel and computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulation due to their success. Horner explains that under the rules, the better your performance, the fewer opportunities you have for these tests. This led the team to take a more careful and efficient approach to the development of the RB20.
The upcoming season will see the evolution of the highly successful RB19. Horner emphasizes that this will be an evolution, not a revolution, and that they will reconsider all areas of the vehicle to benefit from the strengths of the previous model. Although they may have less practice time due to wind tunnel limitations, the team’s commitment to unoriginality remains strong.
Another critical challenge is future preparedness. Red Bull has long been a laggard when it comes to wind tunnels. Horner notes that the current facility is a “Cold War relic” and is particularly unsuited to the “somewhat cold weather we have in England”. This required the technical team to be “selective” in where to channel development. To avoid falling further behind, Red Bull has decided to invest in a new wind tunnel to replace its facility in Bedford, which has been in use for more than 70 years.
This strategic move further consolidates Red Bull’s long-term vision, especially after the death of co-founder Dietrich Mateschitz in 2022. The team is expanding its campus in Milton Keynes and it almost looks like its own town. The construction of the new wind tunnel is further evidence of shareholders’ commitment to F1 and a demonstration of the belief that the sport delivers positive results.
In summary, although Red Bull celebrates their 2023 victory, Christian Horner and his team face complex challenges in 2024, from managing diminishing returns to optimizing the development of the RB20 and strategic investment for the future. The world of Formula 1 is constantly evolving and Red Bull is determined to maintain its position at the top.
