Horner: Wind tunnel problems hurt Red Bull
Aug.15 - Christian Horner says problems at the factory caused Red Bull's early-season problems in 2017.
The former champions are now getting closer to title protagonists Mercedes and Ferrari, but only after a hard push to identify the problem and close the gap.
"The race track didn't show what our tools had promised," team boss Horner told Auto Motor und Sport.
"It put us back two months, but then you have to work twice as fast as the others because they're not standing still."
Asked what exactly went wrong at Red Bull's Milton Keynes headquarters, Horner explained: "It was mainly the wind tunnel that let us down.
"The larger model and tyres gave us different results between the track, the CFD and the wind tunnel."
However, another issue has been customer engine supplier Renault, Horner said.
Asked how much the French-made engine has improved since the start of the season, he answered: "I'd say two tenths.
"By Renault's own estimates they are behind their targets, but they are working very hard to catch up," said Horner.
But other factors may also have been in play, like Ferrari's supposed 'oil in fuel' technology trick, and the fact a clever Red Bull suspension system was banned.
Referring to the oil trick, Horner said: "It definitely benefited those who had it, but it wasn't Renault. Now we're all back on the same page."
As for the suspension, he added: "We tested the system but it didn't give us enough to justify the additional weight, so I don't think that hurt us at all."
One F1 fan comment on “Horner: Wind tunnel problems hurt Red Bull”
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Nobody really understands the "oil in fuel" thing except me I think. OIl in fuel does not add energy as measured in BTU to the fuel. What it does is actually increase the effective octane rating of the fuel. Increasing octane has nothing to do with the energy content of the fuel, but instead the stability or resistance to combustion. This allows the F1 engines to run at higher boost without pre-detonation. It is amazing how little people know about engines and vehicle dynamics.