We have to go back to 2015, his debut season, to encounter such a poor start to Max Verstappen’s year. The four-time champion had only ten points after three races, something that had only worsened that season with Toro Rosso, when he scored six in the only race that finished without a retirement.
It’s not that Verstappen has forgotten how to drive. Rather, his Red Bull has fallen far behind. That car has too many problems, and now an FIA leak has revealed one more: the weight. According to these documents, Max Verstappen’s Red Bull weighs almost 20 kilograms more than his closest rivals in Formula 1.
The Red Bull weighs nearly 20 kilograms more than Ferrari, McLaren and Alpine
These things shouldn’t happen, but they do. A FIA weighing document has leaked into the public light. Specifically it belongs to the Chinese Grand Prix, and reveals something very significant: the Red Bull is having serious weight issues. So much that this could be the key to its terrible start to the season.
Someone leaked the FIA’s scale data from Shanghai during qualifying. The result is revealing: the Red Bull weighs 716.5 kilograms. A real shock when compared to its closest rivals: Ferrari is at 698.5 kg while McLaren is even lighter, at 697.5 kg.
But Alpine is even lighter than the Red Bull. Specifically, the French car would be at 696.5 kilograms. A 20-kilogram gap between Red Bull and Alpine would explain how Pierre Gasly has been duking with and beating Max Verstappen in recent races.
And the start of the season for Red Bull has been disastrous. Verstappen had only accumulated fewer points after three races on one occasion, his debut in 2015 with Toro Rosso. In other words, we are looking at the worst start to a season for Verstappen since joining Red Bull. But the general numbers aren’t much better either.
Red Bull sits sixth in the constructors’ standings with 16 points, tied with Alpine, behind Haas and only two points ahead of its sister team, Racing Bulls. They had accumulated fewer points after three races precisely in that 2015 season, when they started with a paltry thirteen points.
We will see whether Red Bull can shed weight from its car and whether the performance once that happens will be enough to convince Max Verstappen.
Images | Red Bull
