Visa Cash App RB team principal Laurent Mekies has promised that the squad will be rolling out new upgrades for the next Grand Prix in Miami to keep them ahead of their midfield rivals.
RB is currently in sixth place on the constructors standings ahead of Haas, Williams, Alpine and Sauber thanks to Yuki Tsunoda finishing in the top ten in Australia and Japan.
But both Tsunoda and team mate Daniel Ricciardo were involved in accidents during the Chinese Grand Prix that meant they came away from Shanghai empty-handed – something Mekies doesn’t want to happen again in Miami.
Aware of how close things are between RB and Haas after the first five races of the season, Mekies confirmed that they would be fielding upgrades next week despite it being a Sprint weekend with limited practice time.
“We’ll have an update in Miami to help us try to keep surfing on the top of that very edge,” he told Motorsport.com last week. “I’m sure our competitors will bring updates as well.
“There is nothing guaranteed in this group,” he continued, “and only if you nail the weekend will you get to that P10.”
“We’ve never been confident that we have the quickest car of the five [teams at the back],” he acknowledged. “We got it there by half a tenth in Australia, half a tenth in Japan and we missed it by a 10th and a half in China.
“In the race we were probably equal, or if not half a tenth ahead, so we’ve never had any confidence. It’s a battle every time,” he admitted. “But it’s a fantastic exercise for everyone.
“It’s superb training for the team to execute sharp weekends, and you need a strong race from every perspective,” he said. “It’s only by doing that you will get a point.
“As soon as one of these elements – be it tyre management, strategy, or anything – falls off the cliff, you will give up that point.”
In Shanghai, Tsunoda spun out after he was clipped by Kevin Magnussen, at the same time that Ricciardo was rear-ended by Lance Stroll. Both cars were forced to retire, their first double DNF of the season.
“It was a disappointing Sunday for us with both cars taken out of the race in separate incidents which our drivers could do nothing about. It’s painful but we have no other choice than to accept it and move on.
“On a positive note everyone has been working very hard to recover enough pace to be in the fight for P10 again,” he added.
“We have been regrouping with Daniel, Yuki, and the whole team in Faenza and in Bicester to analyse the weekend together and come back stronger in Miami for another ultra-tight battle – and hopefully a less frustrating Sunday!”
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Mekies promises Miami upgrade to keep RB ‘surfing on top’ F1i.com.
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