Red Bull have scrapped plans to run a fan-designed livery on the RB20 for the upcoming Singapore Grand Prix, and the following race at the Circuit of the Americas as they drastically look to reduce the weight of their car.
The reigning champions endured a weekend to forget in Azerbaijan last time out as Sergio Perez crashed while fighting for P3 on the penultimate lap and Max Verstappen laboured to a fifth-placed finish, behind title rival Lando Norris, despite the Brit starting nine positions behind the Red Bull driver.
Verstappen’s lead at the top of the Drivers’ Championship standings has now been trimmed to just 59 points heading into a track that has historically caused problems for Red Bull. Meanwhile, in the Constructors’ Championship, Christian Horner’s outfit now trail McLaren by 20 points and have Ferrari hot on their heels.
Now, they have taken drastic measures in that fight.
“Unfortunately, when we came to the testing phase of what some REBL CUSTMS designs could look like in real life on the RB20, we found the paint used to create these bespoke, full car takeover liveries added unforeseen and undue weight to the bodywork of the RB20,” they announced in a statement.
“As I’m sure you can imagine, any additional weight compromises performance and the team are continuing to prioritise making this car as competitive as possible for the remainder of the 2024 season.
“As a result, it is with a heavy heart that we must let you know the team has made the decision to not run the REBL CUSTMS liveries on the RB20 at the Singapore and United States GPs.”
These drastic actions show the desperation that is setting in within the Red Bull camp, although there is some hope on the horizon for Horner and Helmut Marko. With a major upgrade package scheduled to arrive in time for the United States Grand Prix, Verstappen still has a shot at holding off Norris in the title fight.
However, according to 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve, Red Bull’s poor form is starting to rub off on Verstappen. “Max for the last few races sounds downbeat,” he stated during the Sky Sports F1 broadcast in Baku.
“He’s not even feisty in the race and doesn’t fight that hard. Even on the radio, we barely hear him. Something has changed. He knows the car isn’t driving as he wants and his team-mate was a lot quicker than him.”
