Lewis Hamilton Reveals Potential Reasons Behind Red Bull’s Performance Drop at Singapore GP

In a surprising twist at the Singapore Grand Prix, Red Bull Racing experienced a notable drop in performance. Lewis Hamilton suggests this may be due to the team focusing on the 2024 car development.

Key Takeaways:

• Red Bull Racing, typically dominant in the 2023 season, saw a decrease in performance at the Singapore Grand Prix, with Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez finishing fifth and eighth.
• Lewis Hamilton, a seven-time world champion, suspects Red Bull has shifted their developmental efforts to their 2024 vehicle, impacting their current season’s performance.
• Despite this setback for Red Bull, Carlos Sainz, the winner of the Singapore Grand Prix, and Lando Norris from McLaren, continue to view Red Bull as a formidable competitor for the upcoming races.

In a recent analysis of the Formula 1 landscape, Lewis Hamilton commented on Red Bull’s unexpected performance downturn at the Singapore Grand Prix. His insights, coupled with opinions from other leading figures in the sport, shed light on the ever-changing dynamics of Formula 1 racing.

Hamilton, while expressing his views on Red Bull’s current strategy, was quoted by Crash.net, saying, “I don’t really know why they’re off, pace-wise. But I think it’s great to see that others, like [McLaren and Ferrari], have picked up a huge amount of pace. It’s great to see that Ferrari have really stepped it up, and I think it’s a positive. Probably, if you think about it, they haven’t been developing. Obviously, McLaren brought an upgrade here, others are bringing up upgrades. They’re [Red Bull] working on next year’s car so… they have less wind tunnel time, so they’re probably using some of this year’s for next year’s, they would have definitely migrated before us. So no, I think it’s just one of the things. They’re so clear ahead that maybe they’re developing their car less and we are still pushing to develop our current one. But time will tell.”

Race winner Carlos Sainz remained vigilant about Red Bull’s capabilities, despite his victory. He noted, “I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re still winning the last few races of the season. Singapore gave us the chance and we just did well. But the Red Bull is going to be up there in the remainder of the season and they’re going to be very, very, very, very difficult to beat. It’s great for F1 if Ferrari, McLaren, Mercedes, Aston would be that two, three-tenths quicker every race, to challenge them in race pace. The racing this year would be incredible and it would be eight drivers fighting for wins, a bit like we saw in Singapore with four or five guys out there fighting for a win around a street track. It just shows the potential F1 has to create an incredible show.”

Lando Norris from McLaren also shared his thoughts, expressing surprise at Red Bull’s recent struggles but anticipating a quick recovery. He mentioned, “I don’t know what they struggled with this weekend but when I watched Max’s onboard from qualifying, I kind of laughed because I’ve never seen a car that bad before. But Max also laughed about it. So, we’ll see next weekend. I think they’ll probably be back at the top.”

This intriguing mix of strategies and performances highlights the ever-evolving nature of Formula 1, where teams are constantly balancing current competition with future development, keeping fans and participants alike on the edge of their seats.