Wache details Red Bull’s RB22 balance problem after Friday practice in Mexico

After Friday practice at the Mexico City Grand Prix, Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache said the team would try to correct a front-to-rear balance mismatch in the RB22’s set-up before Saturday’s running. He said the mismatch showed up at the front under braking and at the apex, then at the rear as the car turned.

Wache said the set-up work had to balance short and long runs; an improvement to short-run balance could not come at the expense of the tyres.

Verstappen had only one practice session on Friday, with Ayumu Iwasa driving the RB22 in FP1. Damage to Verstappen’s car from the incident with Liam Lawson also made it harder for Red Bull to get a clear picture of its actual balance, Wache said.

Tyres were another constraint. Wache said they were overheating in the final sector and that track temperature fell by more than 10 degrees during FP2. He said the long runs were not very representative of Sunday’s race, forecast higher degradation and said the medium tyre might be better.