Red Bull have put up an impressive battle against their dominating Mercedes rivals in the 2021 season. Although the team didn’t win the constructors’ title at the end of the day, it was a testament to their development as a team that they came close and challenged for the throne. However, their continued development of the RB16B could prove costly in the coming season.
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Former Red Bull reserve driver Alex Albon admitted that towards the end of the 2021 season, Red Bull put their 2022 progress on hold for the season. “As the championship got closer and closer we stopped focusing on next year’s car and focused more on this year’s car. Especially in the last two races in Jeddah and Abu Dhabi we tried a little harder than usual and yes, it worked well.”
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As Albon noted, the Jeddah and Abu Dhabi races were crucial for Max Verstappen to close the points gap and eventually win. Although the sacrifice paid off in 2021, in the bigger picture will it be regrettable? Albon doesn’t seem to think so.
“In a way you only have to think short-term in the championship. When you have the car at the start of the season to win the championship, you have to put all your eggs in one basket.” Red Bull did just that and took home a new world champion.
Alex Albon sheds light on Red Bull 2022 charges
While it wouldn’t be wise to pause car development in 2022, Albon knows the Milton Keynes team is relentless. “It’s not like we dropped everything to focus on the past year.”
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Albon adds confidently: “We were smart and Red Bull have always been good at adapting to the regulations with Adrian and the aerodynamicists in the past. They’ve always been smart in that regard, so I don’t think they’ll be in a bad position next year.”
Formula One F1 – Young Driver Test – Yas Marina Circuit, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates – December 14, 2021 Red Bull’s Max Verstappen and mechanics during testing REUTERS/Hamad I Mohammed
The team boss seems to share Albon’s insights. Christian Horner also believes Red Bull will return to the front this season. “I think we all knew the big rule changes were coming in 2022 and we adjusted our resources accordingly.”
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So Red Bull took a risk in their game; a risk for which they reaped the rewards several times over. But will confidence wane as the complex regulations of the 2022 season progress? Or will the team fight another hard-fought battle against rivals? When the season rolls around, it will be a matter of time before we find out.
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