Both Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez struggled at the Marina Bay circuit last weekend, with neither driver making it out of Q2 as the squad also suffered its first defeat of the season.
While its issues over the weekend were compounded by set-up mistakes, its chief engineer Paul Monaghan also dropped hints about ‘inherent’ problems being a factor too.
Asked if this was something that had been there all season, Monaghan responded: “Sort of. Without elaborating, it's difficult to explain, but you're kind of on the right thread.”
Asked by Autosport to explain what Monaghan was alluding to, with the RB19 having been so dominant, Red Bull team boss Christian Horner has pointed towards the car not being strong in short corners.
He says the first evidence of that was delivered at the Monaco Grand Prix, where Verstappen was pushed hard by Fernando Alonso for pole position and the race victory.
“Certainly, if you look at a race like Monaco, Fernando's lap there was phenomenal,” said Horner. “It took something extra special from Max: I think he hit every barrier in the last sector to take that pole position, which is obviously so critical there.
“So, at Monaco, there were already signs that street circuits were a challenge for us. Azerbaijan as well was more of a challenge. I think that there have been some short corner circuits that have posed some issues for us.”
Source: Autosport