Red Bull pinpoint crucial tests to understand major McLaren advantage

Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan has circled the Austrian and British Grands Prix as an opportunity to establish how the RB21 fares on long-run pace compared with rival F1 cars. Against the odds, Max Verstappen has pieced together an F1 drivers' championship challenge against the McLarens of Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris this season, despite fighting in inferior machinery for many of the opening rounds. Compounding the deficit to the MCL39 was that the Woking squad's car has generally been kinder on its tyres this year. How McLaren manages its brakes and tyre temperatures has been a significant talking point so far this campaign, with it viewed that not only can the papaya team get them up to temperature more quickly, it can maintain the correct heat levels without either becoming too hot. In turn, it reduces tyre degradation, creating an advantage at races that require more tyre management. With Red Bull appearing to made strides in outright performance in recent rounds, Monaghan was asked whether tyre management was now the main difference between McLaren and the six-time constructors' champions, given the form shown by the RB21 at circuits like Suzuka. "Japan's as much [tyre] management. I mean, the energy that goes into that circuit is phenomenal," he replied to media, including RacingNews365 , to partially refute the suggestion. "It's like Silverstone, every corners phenomenal speed and massive work for the tyres. "I would have to acquiesce that your hint we don't go so good in a long run was true in Barcelona. It wasn't true in Imola, and it wasn't true in Japan. "So that area, from Japan [onwards], yes, we weren't as strong as our opposition. [Canada] is slightly different in that you don't have the long duration of corner, and they're all low speed, and then it's a dragster race, so different conditions..." Monaghan pointed out how the next two rounds on the F1 calendar should, however, provide a clearer indication as to what the current underlying pace of the RB21 is in race trim and how it handles long-run tyre management. "But yeah, Silverstone, I think, will be - perhaps Spielberg, if it's warm - will be another work out where we can see: are we better, or worse, or indifferent to those guys in the long run, or anybody else," he added. "Everybody can change their car, can't they? So, it's an area to work on. As usual, the Sunday afternoon exam will tell us if we're right, wrong or in the middle."