Red Bull open to evolving RB18 F1 car characteristics in title fight

Red Bull and main rival Ferrari have been closely matched at most venues so far in 2022, despite their respective cars usually showing strengths in different areas of circuits.

The RB18 has generally demonstrated good straightline speed while running a low drag set-up, while the F1-75 has been strong in slow corners.

However, Monaghan says his team is not averse to developing the car in a different direction to suit a variety of tracks.

“We’re learning to evolve our programme and our lap time,” said Monaghan. “And it’s relative to those guys. We can look at what the Ferrari is good and bad at. And I think it would be naive of us not to.

“They tend to be quite strong [at] low speed. And then we tend to be better in other areas of the circuit. And there’s a big visual clue if you look occasionally as to how we’ve achieved our lap time and they have achieved theirs.

“Are they stuck in that pattern? I don’t know. Are we stuck in ours? No, not at all. We are open-minded to change.

“And if you stand still in this sport, you can often be left behind, so if we don’t look and learn and reconsider that would be a little bit presumptuous of us.”

Looking at some of the circuits coming up, Monaghan highlighted how downforce and drag packages might compare.

“So at the moment, I’d say we’re quite happy with our trade as we strike it, and I think Baku will pull everybody in one particular direction. I think Silverstone, that could produce a bit of difference, shall we say? Spielberg will produce a bit of difference.

“On Hungary, I expect there’ll be a convergence again, but that’s track nature and how we best exploit our lap time, isn’t it?

“So at the moment, I’d say we’ve got our trade reasonably good. But come [the final race in] Abu Dhabi we might have got it right or wrong.”

Monaghan acknowledged that the two teams were…