Why Red Bull have been struggling so far

"At the moment it's almost as though the car decides when it is the fastest, and when it is not" - Sebastian Vettel

It's rather unusual not to see Vettel's first finger waving around parc ferme after a pole position. That's probably because there is no pole position this year for the Red Bull team. Yet. While the squad is playing catch-up so far, there's bound to be a race this season where we'll see them on top again. 

Vettel lands the Red Bull on the grass

Obviously it's been a frustrating start to the season for the double champs. The RB8 was claimed title favorite in pre-season testing, so arriving in Australia, Vettel and the crew had high expectations, which later turned to dust. Not only was the Red Bull unable to clinch pole, it was off the top 5. Malaysia was a similar story, albeit Webber managed to secure 4th place, while the double world champion was left baffled by his collision with Karthikeyan and was well out of the points. 

What went wrong after a dominating campaign? 

The answer lies in two key words: blown diffuser. What is a blown diffuser, you ask? Let's put it this way. On road cars, the engine exhaust exits are normally located at the rear of the car. On a Formula One car they are deliberately located in front of the rear wheels so that the hot, fast flowing exhaust gases can be channelled towards the car’s rear diffuser. This increases airflow through the diffuser and in turn increases the amount of downforce the diffuser produces. This particular amount of downforce was Red Bull's strongest point last season and the reason for their speed. 

This year the FIA has banned the blown diffuser design, so Red Bull were basically forced to re-design their car and focus on a different exhaust system. This proved a severe blow under the belt, as they lost a significant amount of downforce, so the car feels a lot less comfortable than last year. And when the car feels uncomfortable, it's hard to enjoy the advantage we saw in 2011. 

Vettel talking to the media in Malaysia

Of course, this regulation applied to all teams, but they were not relying on the blown diffuser design last season as much as Red Bull. It obviously hurt everyone, but not to the same extent. Nevertheless, new innovative constructions are quickly emerging, and Red Bull are expected to bounce back sooner than later. Don't expect them to stay off the pace too long, especially with Adrian Newey on board.