Red Bull’s F1 Strategy: Unifying Driver Performance in RB19 – Insights from Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan

In a revealing discussion about the performance dynamics within the Red Bull Racing team, Chief Engineer Paul Monaghan highlights the minimal differences between the RB19 cars of Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen. Despite Verstappen’s dominating win streak this season, Monaghan emphasizes the similarity in their car setups and the team’s race-by-race approach to success.

Key Takeaways:

• Unified Car Performance: Paul Monaghan confirms that both Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen’s RB19 cars have fewer differences than in the previous season, with changes mostly based on individual driver preferences.
• No Impact on Driver Performance: Despite speculations, the Red Bull team has clarified that the variance in driver performance is not due to significant differences in the cars, dismissing the idea that the RB19 is tailored solely for Verstappen.
• Race-by-Race Strategy: Monaghan underlines the team’s philosophy of focusing on each race individually, attributing this mindset to their impressive record of 15 wins this season, rather than relying on past achievements.

Red Bull Racing’s Chief Engineer, Paul Monaghan, has recently shed light on the nuanced differences between the RB19 Formula 1 cars driven by Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez. While acknowledging these differences, Monaghan clarifies that they are considerably less than what they were back in 2021, and are primarily influenced by the drivers’ individual preferences. This revelation comes amidst Red Bull’s outstanding performance this season, with Verstappen securing an unprecedented 12 wins out of 14 races, including a streak of ten consecutive Grand Prix victories.

Despite Verstappen’s apparent dominance, Perez’s journey hasn’t been as smooth, especially before the summer break. However, Monaghan firmly states that the difference in their on-track performance is not due to any major disparities in their cars. This counters earlier speculations that the RB19 was predominantly designed around Verstappen’s driving style.

Monaghan, while speaking to RacingNews365, explained, “Drivers in my experience always want subtle changes or subtle differences across the garage and that’s nothing unusual. [Sergio] is quite close to Max with this car in terms of his set-up preferences and his choices. It makes it a little bit easier going forward with this one. His approach to it is very similar to Max, the differences are so small and with this car I’d say it’s perhaps less than 2021 car. So no, in answer to your question, is it broadly different? No, they’re very close.”

Emphasizing the team’s strategy, Monaghan added, “Because we’re in a competitive environment and you’re dealing with short-term problems of the P1 session, what do we do for P2, P3. How are we going to approach qualifying? What’s the weather like? It would be wrong of us to rest on what we’ve achieved so far. We want to keep going. And the only way to do that is to treat each race as an individual competition and we’ve got to push ourselves to get the most out of ourselves the car, the drivers, if we’re going to stay ahead.”

This insight from Monaghan not only dispels myths about the RB19’s driver-centric design but also reinforces Red Bull Racing’s commitment to excellence and adaptability in the highly competitive world of Formula 1. The team’s ability to fine-tune their strategies and car setups to maximize both drivers’ performances is a testament to their engineering prowess and strategic acumen. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how this approach continues to impact their success on the track.