Red Bull approaches Barcelona with confidence
After a somewhat complicated start to the season, the Red Bull team has turned things around in recent weeks, and Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber hope to be competitive next weekend at the Spanish Grand Prix, which marks the beginning of the European season.
After Sebastian Vettel’s victory in Bahrain, the Red Bull Racing team had good tests in Mugello, with Sebastian Vettel recording the second overall fastest time and Mark Webber the 6th. The Austrian team seems to be back at the forefront, and both drivers hope to demonstrate this next weekend in Barcelona.
Mark Webber expressed satisfaction with the Mugello tests, which helped prepare for this Spanish event: “It’s the first European race of the season, so we’ll have to roll up our sleeves after successful tests at Mugello. The start of the tests was complicated, but they ended well and we are heading to Barcelona with good mileage covered and a better understanding of the new developments.”
As Sebastian Vettel explains, the Circuit de Catalunya is well known to the drivers, but that doesn’t mean much because the track still holds some traps, particularly with the wind: Of all the circuits we visit for a Grand Prix, Barcelona is the one we know best because we have done a lot of testing there over the past few years. That being said, the knowledge you gain from these tests doesn’t help much because of the wind, which often changes here, and that can lead to unpleasant surprises, especially in turn 1. But generally, a car that works well aerodynamically in Barcelona will work well everywhere – so it will be an interesting weekend.
Even though the Mugello tests allowed Red Bull to work for Barcelona, the reigning world champion acknowledges there will still be work to do: «We have worked on the car for Barcelona during this week’s tests, but we still have work to do on the settings once we are there.»
But despite everything, Mark Webber thinks that the Austrian team can aim for a good result, especially since it’s a track where he has been comfortable in recent years: I enjoy the Barcelona circuit, we do a lot of work there and it’s a track that has been quite successful for me in the past. I have secured pole position there for the last two years and converted that pole into a victory in 2010, so I expect a good weekend. It’s tight between the teams, so we are aware that we must do everything perfectly to achieve a good performance.
