Multiple factors may have combined to help Max Verstappen and Red Bull end McLaren's run of dominance at the Imola GP.
Red Bull arrived in Italy with a much-needed upgrade for the RB21, aimed at fixing persistent issues like understeer, a narrow setup window, and tyre degradation — all areas where McLaren had recently held the edge.
But former F1 driver Christijan Albers believes Red Bull may have unlocked a bigger gain by copying a clever McLaren design feature within the brake drum.
"We are trying to copy what McLaren has," De Limburger quotes Verstappen as saying at the start of the Imola weekend.
"How did Red Bull make such a leap in those long runs, so that they can keep those tyres so consistent?" Albers asked in De Telegraaf. "You can see that they have modified the rear brake drums, so that the air can flow out better. Maybe that was it."
De Telegraaf's lead F1 journalist Erik van Haren has also pointed to another possible reason — an FIA technical directive issued on the Monday ahead of the race weekend.
According to his report, the directive related to the architecture of wheel systems and how tyres are managed — with some speculating it may have specifically targeted McLaren's recent performance edge.
McLaren, however, denied any impact.
"For us," said team principal Andrea Stella, "it's good news when our rivals put their focus onto some of the aspects that allegedly are present in our car — and that effectively are not even present."
Whatever the case, Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache remained reserved about whether Imola marked a definitive turning point in the title fight.
"Am I confident now? I don't have an answer to that," said Wache.
"I was after Suzuka, and then we were beaten by McLaren three times in a row."
