Red Bull achieves aero breakthrough - Horner

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Red Bull Racing team boss Christian Horner says the Milton Keynes-based outfit has made a substantial development breakthrough by fixing its correlations issues.

Red Bull opted for simplicity when it came to designing its new-spec 2017 car, but the approach produced an RB13 which at the outset suffered a meaningful deficit compared to Ferrari and Mercedes' challengers.

In a bid to improve its relative performance, the team introduced an upgrade package at the Spanish Grand Prix which went a long way towards correcting the correlations issues which Red Bull had noticed between track and simulation data.

Daniel Ricciardo secured a podium finish in Canada, theoretically unfavourable terrain for the RB13, while Max Verstappen was holding on to second before a battery issue forced the teenager into retirement.

"We've understood some of the correlation issues," said Horner.

"We've learned which tools to trust and in which area. That's given a clear direction and in the last races in particular, every race, we've made progress.

"We've definitely closed the gap. In Canada, we were racing a Mercedes with Max. It was interesting Ferrari's race pace didn't look anything particularly special."

Verstappen only getting better and more complete - Horner

The team's early season under-performance prompted designer Adrian Newey to step up his involvement with a car whose foundation he had not overseen.

While Red Bull has registered undeniable progress, Horner is still guarded over the team's performance in the next few races which won't play into the RB13's new-found strengths.

"The next two races will be tough for us," he said.

"It's encouraging the progress we are making. We've had great starts again, which compensates a little bit for what we miss out on a Saturday afternoon.

"We'll go to the next two races and try and take as much out of those events as we can."

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Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.