F1 News: Red Bull Reveals Fast-Tracked Hungarian GP Upgrades After Mounting Threat From Rivals

Red Bull Racing has accelerated the implementation of major upgrades to their RB20 car for the Hungarian Grand Prix following recent competitive pressure.

May 4, 2024; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Red Bull Racing driver Max Verstappen (1) during F1 qualifying for Miami Grand Prix at Miami International Autodrome. Mandatory Credit: Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports / Peter Casey-USA TODAY Sports

Red Bull Racing has announced a major upgrade to their RB20 car for the Hungarian Grand Prix at the Hungaroring. This upgrade package, described as the most comprehensive of the season, includes a revised engine cover, a new front wing design, and modified aerodynamic elements at both the front and rear.

The decision to accelerate the implementation of these upgrades stems from recent competitive pressures. Notably, Mercedes’ victories in Austria and Britain, along with a close challenge from McLaren, have pushed Red Bull to advance their enhancement schedule.

Paul Monaghan, Red Bull’s Chief Engineer, shared insights into the rationale and expectations surrounding the new modifications. He commented, as quoted by Crash.net:

“It’s linked to temperature and the track nature. So we’ll see how it pans out here, won’t we? If the lap times are poor in relative terms, we’ll have to consider.

"But our belief is we’re going forward with this. Everyone at the factory has done a stunning job because we got it here earlier than expected. We’ll hopefully make good use of it.”

He added:

“We’d looked to see how quickly we could bring this, and this is the earliest opportunity.

“Everybody’s close to us, aren’t they? So we need to be at the top of our game, and this is another small step. The upgrades bar one part of it are on both cars, so it’s a huge statement of thank you to everyone that’s got to this point.

“Based upon the data we’ve got coming into this race, it should be valuable to us.

"I think really we rate it in terms of what everyone else has done, don’t we? We’ve made the biggest step we can make. Is it enough? We’ll find out on Sunday afternoon. That’s really the rating of it.”