According to one cruel joke in the Jerez paddock last week, the Red Bull RB10 has a cryptic, phonetic meaning -- 'Red Bull Are Bea-ten'.
It follows a disastrous opening test for the reigning four-time world champions, where even the late-to-arrive backmarker Marussia actually collected more mileage.
Italy's Autosprint published a table of mileage after the first winter test of the pre-season, and it makes worrying reading for the Milton Keynes team.
http://autosprint.corrieredellosport.it/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/grafico-con-km.jpg
Direct rivals like Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, however, spent no time gloating over the Red Bull crisis.
"There are always some problems that are public, or less obvious, sometimes more, sometimes less," he told Spanish reporters at Jerez.
"Only in Australia are there the first points; this is the first test," Alonso insisted.
Williams' Felipe Massa, however, admitted that if he was in Sebastian Vettel or Daniel Ricciardo's racing boots, "I would be worried".
"At least they are having some problems this time and are not two seconds faster than the others, as they were in some places last year," the Brazilian is quoted by Totalrace.
Indeed, in a worrying sign of the severity of the problem, Renault's deputy managing director Rob White admitted the cause is "not straightforward" or even fully understood.
"There isn't a single component or system that has caused particular trouble," he admitted.
"The next stage is to identify the root causes for the problems we experienced, to develop the solutions to strengthen our validation process so we can be more confident to tackle Bahrain in a more normal way," he said in a media statement.
Perhaps even more worrying is that the FIA's deadline for initially 'freezing' the specification of the power unit - the end of February - is fast approaching.
Alonso, however, tipped Red Bull and Renault to be ready.
"If this (the events of Jerez) had happened in Australia, it would be more decisive," he is quoted by Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport.
"But there is still two months, and Red Bull still has the time to do the kilometres that we (Ferrari) have done, and what Mercedes has done.
"I think more than ever this year, we will have to wait for the races to get an idea of where everybody is." (GMM)
Massa: "I would be worried if I was Red Bull"
- Published on 03 Feb 2014 09:24
-
0
- By: Tom Brooks
F1 News
Fernando Alonso
Felipe Massa
Daniel Ricciardo
Sebastian Vettel
Renault
Ferrari
Mercedes
Williams
Marussia
.
Trending news
-
Nike reportedly working on F1 return after two decadesNike is exploring a return to Formula 1 after more than two decades away from the paddock, with early-stage talks cen...
01 Sep 2026 16:25 -
How Liam Lawson's Zandvoort drive may have rescued his F1 futureLiam Lawson may have salvaged his Formula 1 career with a composed performance at the Dutch Grand Prix, according to ...
01 Sep 2026 15:23 -
Sainz baffled by Verstappen's thoughts on early F1 retirementCarlos Sainz has expressed genuine confusion at Max Verstappen's repeated consideration of early retirement from ...
01 Sep 2026 14:21 -
Why Lando Norris' New McLaren Role Could Pressure PiastriLando Norris has signalled his intention to become McLaren's undisputed leader, citing growing influence over tea...
01 Sep 2026 13:20 -
Betting on the F1 season: reading the odds and building a race-day strategyFollowing an entire Formula 1 season means constantly reassessing the competitive order. A car that excels through Mo...
01 Sep 2026 14:23
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Dutch Grand Prix
Local time
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
-
Friday
-
Saturday
-
Sunday
Test calendar
Circuit de Catalunya - Winter testing
-
Jan 26
I. Hadjar
- 1:18.159
-
-
-
Jan 27
M. Verstappen
- 1:19.578
-
-
-
Jan 28
A. Antonelli
- 1:17.362
-
-
-
Jan 29
G. Russell
- 1:16.445
-
-
-
Jan 30
L. Hamilton
- 1:16.348
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 11
L. Norris
- 1:34.669
-
-
-
Feb 12
C. Leclerc
- 1:34.273
-
-
-
Feb 13
A. Antonelli
- 1:33.669
-
-
Bahrain International Circuit - Winter testing
-
Feb 18
G. Russell
- 1:33.459
-
-
Feb 19
A. Antonelli
- 1:32.803
-
-
Feb 20
C. Leclerc
- 1:31.992
-
-
World Championship standings 2026
Pos
Driver
Team
Points
Pos
Team
Points
Related news
Give your opinion!
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix
Circuit
-
Spain
-
Bahrain
-
Bahrain
Formula 1 Calendar - 2026
Date
Grand Prix & Circuit
-
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
-
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
6 - Mar 8
Australia
Albert Park
13 - Mar 15
27 - Mar 29
Japan
Circuit Suzuka
10 - Apr 12
Bahrain
Bahrain International Circuit
17 - Apr 19
Saudi Arabia
Jeddah Street Circuit
1 - May 3
United States of America
Miami International Autodrome
22 - May 24
Canada
Gilles Villeneuve
5 - Jun 7
Monaco
Monte Carlo
12 - Jun 14
Spain
Circuit de Catalunya
26 - Jun 28
Austria
Red Bull Ring
3 - Jul 5
United Kingdom
Silverstone
17 - Jul 19
Belgium
Spa-Francorchamps
24 - Jul 26
Hungary
Hungaroring
21 - Aug 23
Netherlands
Circuit Zandvoort
4 - Sep 6
Italy
Monza
Driver profile
- Team Aston Martin
- Points 631
- Podiums 9
- Grand Prix 205
- Country ES
- Date of b. Jul 29 1981 (45)
- Place of b. Oviedo, ES
- Weight 68 kg
- Length 1.71 m
- 188,130 comments on Aston Martin
78 members have this team as their favourite
Tweets about Fernando Alonso
Team profile
- Team name Renault
- Base Enstone, France
- Fernando Alonso 1
- Daniel Ricciardo 3
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 5
- Fernando Alonso 7
- Romain Grosjean 8
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Fernando Alonso 8
- Pastor Maldonado 13
- Jenson Button 15
- Kevin Magnussen 20
- Nico Hülkenberg 27
- Jolyon Palmer 30
- Esteban Ocon 31
- Carlos Sainz jr 55
- 236,941 comments on Renault
- 26 members have this team as their favourite
- Tweets about Renault
Replies (0)
Login to reply