Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has said the Austrian-based teams RB20 "didn't deliver what was expected" in every area this season. (More Motorsport News)
Red Bull claimed a sixth Constructors' Championship in 2023, with Max Verstappen winning his third World Drivers' Championship in a row, scoring 575 points, which was more than double of second placed team-mate, Sergio Perez.
Despite their dominance, the team wanted to remain at the top of the grid and made significant changes to this year's RB20.
Verstappen and Perez would secure three one-two finishes in the first four Grand Prix's of the season, but performances of late have seen the team's around them close in.
Both McLaren and Mercedes have continually improved and have looked competitive since May, with Wache saying the cars' performance this year has fallen below expectations.
"I would say not really. We improved compared to last year, without doubt, but we didn’t deliver what we expected in some areas," Wache told Motorsport.com.
"Especially in the high-speed corners we expected a little bit more than what we have. Without thinking about the competitiveness of the car, so just based on our own references, we expected a little bit more with our tools.
"In medium-speed and low-speed we improved quite a lot compared to last year. We were a little bit weaker in the high-speed corners compared to last year relative to the competition.
"In kerb riding we are clearly weak, but we were already last year. I think we didn’t make the improvement we expected in that aspect."
While Verstappen still holds a comfortable advantage over McLaren's Lando Norris in the Drivers' Championship, the same cannot be said for the Constructors'.
McLaren are now just 42 points behind Red Bull, with Ferrari just 11 points behind the British-based team.
That subsequent dip in results has largely been down to the form of Perez, who is yet to finish on the podium since the Chinese Grand Prix in April.
Verstappen's fourth placed finish at the Belgian Grand Prix last time out was also the first time since 2020 that the Dutchman had failed to win a race in four attempts.
Despite their recent form, it did not come as a surprise to Wache, who said he expected the rival teams to catch up as the season went on.
"We expected the opposition to come earlier, to be honest with you," Wache added. "When we started the 2022 season, we didn’t have the quickest car.
"Ferrari had the quickest car in the beginning of 2022. We expected a massive competition in 2023, but that didn’t happen.
"In 2024 we also expected the competition to be there more or less from the start, because the performance you can find with the car is limited under the same regulations.
"The limitations you have with these regulations are quite high and what you can find to make more steps is getting more difficult. Then it is almost sure that the opposition will come back at some point."
"After the first four or five races the others came back, maybe with a bit of delay, but we expected that from the start.
