F1 News: Christian Horner addresses Red Bull’s suspension concerns

Red Bull Racing team principal Christian Horner has acknowledged problems with the RB20’s suspension, particularly affecting performance over curbs and bumps. The difficulties were first noted at the recent Monaco Grand Prix and continued, albeit to a lesser extent, at the Canadian Grand Prix in Montreal.

At the heart of the machine’s problems lies an inherent conflict between its aerodynamic design and suspension. The car’s aerodynamics, in particular, require an exceptionally stiff suspension, which, while potentially beneficial for generating downforce in these current ground effect cars, results in a low-compliance suspension system that struggles with shock absorption. This engineering compromise results in a ride that is not only harsh but occasionally unstable, presenting a significant challenge to drivers racing at fast circuits.

Despite these setbacks, Red Bull remains committed to finding solutions. Horner is optimistic about solving these suspension issues without affecting the car’s aerodynamic efficiency, although he admits a quick fix seems unlikely. Speaking about the performance at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, Horner noted, according to Autosport:

“Everything has to work in unison. You demand the aerodynamic platform of the car, but you want the car to go over curbs.

“What was encouraging was that our third sector was competitive this weekend, even when the car was so stiff in the final chicane. If you look at the whole race, we were very competitive there. So even though it was uncomfortable, we were still quick enough.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull’s top driver, also weighed in on the ongoing dilemma. He admitted that the problem had less of an impact in Canada as track conditions meant that kerbing was less common. The reigning champion remained hopeful for a solution that would preserve the rest of the car’s performance data.

“The last few races have been quite difficult, but not only difficult, there were too many problems throughout the weekend, so we need to have a cleaner weekend,” he admitted.

“We have big problems with the kerbs and bumps, so there is definitely an area we can work on and if we can get that under control we can definitely improve the car a lot.”

“I really believe we can solve the problem without affecting other parts of the car,” he explained. “We know it’s a weakness and I also know we’re working flat out to fix it because I really feel like it’s a pretty big performance limitation for us at the moment.”

“Of course, I’m also looking forward to some tracks where we might not have to overcome so many curbs or bumps.

“You can see every weekend so far that some teams are a bit stronger on certain tracks and I think that makes it very exciting in a way.”