How much time Red Bull expected to lose per lap after abandoning special Singapore Grand Prix livery

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Things aren’t going to plan for Red Bull Racing and ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix they’ve been forced to backtrack on a promise made to fans earlier in the season.

Red Bull have one of the most recognisable liveries on the grid but are also well known for their creativity.

In previous years they’ve run some outrageous colour schemes on their cars during pre-season testing before reverting to their traditional navy blue with two bulls on either side of the body of the car.

However, their latest opportunity to change that colour scheme under the lights of the Singapore Grand Prix have been thwarted.

It’s a blow for Red Bull, considering that some of their rivals have decided to take the opportunity at the Marina Bay Street Circuit to showcase their creativity.

Mercedes are honouring Petronas with a green livery that looks slightly reminiscent of the current Aston Martin.

Even Red Bull’s sister team RB are opting for a denim-themed paint job but Red Bull’s car will look as it always does over the weekend.

A report from Autosport has shared more details about why the special livery was abandoned.

Red Bull used a fan-designed livery at Silverstone as part of the same project, but given how close the margins are between the top teams – and the struggles Red Bull are expected to have in Singapore – they couldn’t afford to sacrifice any time.

Red Bull abandon special livery for the Singapore Grand Prix

In a statement released ahead of the 18^th race weekend of the 2024 F1 season, Red Bull said: “Unfortunately when we came to the testing phase of what some REBL CUSTMS designs could look like, in real life, on the RB20, we found the paint used to create these bespoke full car takeover liveries added unforeseen and undue weight to the bodywork of the RB20.

“As I’m sure you can imagine, any additional weight compromises performance and the team are continuing to prioritise making this car as competitive as possible for the remainder of the 2024 season.

“As a result, it is with a heavy heart that we must let you know the team has made the decision to not run the REBL CUSTMS liveries on the RB20 at the Singapore and United States GPs.”

The report from Autosport goes on to explain that the extra weight from the unseen fan-designed livery forced Red Bull to abandon the plans.

It was expected that the paint scheme was going to add 1kg to the car which made the project untenable.

This was expected to equate to 0.03 seconds lost per lap, a gap which for context would have been enough for Sergio Perez to start ahead of Carlos Sainz had he shaved that much time off his Q3 lap.

Over the course of 62 laps, this time loss would lead to losing 1.86 seconds, the equivalent of a slow pit stop which has cost teams positions in the past.

Helmut Marko has Red Bull concerns ahead of the Singapore Grand Prix

It’s hard to imagine Helmut Marko having any interest in a special Red Bull livery unless it helped improve the car’s performance.

However, on this occasion, Marko is concerned Red Bull are on the back foot in Singapore because of Sergio Perez’s late crash in Baku.

He believes that the team are now under pressure to make sure his car is fitted with all the correct parts given the quick turnaround and logistical nightmare of getting everything ready so far away from their factory.

READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Red Bull Racing from engine to Ford links

Marko believes Red Bull won’t be competitive against until Austin but it might already be too late by then to win the Constructors’ Championship.

Max Verstappen still has a healthy lead in the driver’s standings although a repeat of last year’s result would see Lando Norris take another eight points out of his lead.

Verstappen would immediately take a 5^th place finish again this year, considering how much progress the team’s rivals have made over the past 12 months.