Red Bull surprises with new RB20 concept not yet fully unveiled
The last team to unveil its single-seater for the 2024 season, Red Bull has said it was bold in choosing to change concept with its RB20, despite the RB19's over-domination last year.
Red Bull closed the round of presentations on Thursday evening by unveiling its brand new RB20. This one, although succeeding the incredible RB19, surprised everyone with its new aerodynamic concept.
The RB19, Red Bull’s 2023 car, was an evolution of the already reigning world champion car in 2022, the RB18. The RB19 then became one of the most dominant Formula 1 cars in history, winning 22 out of the 23 races in the 2023 season. Despite these results, the Austrian team decided to start with a completely new concept in 2024.
Although the floor remains naturally concealed, the engine cover and sidepods present a similar approach to Mercedes. The team principal, Christian Horner, expressed that the resemblance to the German team was not intentional and that it was simply the logical continuation of the car’s development.
“It’s not tactical, it’s based on performance and what we see through our simulation tools,” said Horner, who also indicated the arrival of some additional important innovations. “Obviously, the car looks visibly different in certain areas compared to last year. Only the stopwatch will tell, but in the virtual world, we wouldn’t have designed it if we didn’t feel it was better.”
These are secondary gains in all areas, so you are constantly seeking to evolve. If you look at the details of the car, there are truly magnificent details. And I think the team… there was no complacency. They continued to evolve, to push the limits, added the British director.
I think there are also great innovations on the car, which will undoubtedly be scrutinized in the coming weeks. Creativity has been strong within the team and you can see it in some of the solutions they have found. This is not a conservative evolution: there are great innovations on this car.
I think it’s controlled aggression.
Max Verstappen admitted to being surprised when he first saw the 2024 concept. But the three-time reigning world champion has full confidence in his team’s approach. “I am quite pleased with the direction they have chosen,” he said.
« I saw the drawings in Abu Dhabi, and I was like, “Wow, it’s quite different in a certain way.” They weren’t conservative, let’s put it that way. That’s what I love about the team. We had a good package, but they took the risk of really giving it their all and trying to improve it.
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Of course, time will tell if it’s really, really good. From what I see within the team, everyone is just happy with what they have accomplished during the winter. But again, we don’t know. We can’t control what others have done, he continued.
I think it’s controlled aggression. It doesn’t seem to be a question mark about what they did, but at the same time, they’re not completely certain.
On his side, Sergio Pérez believes that the changes are a sign of Red Bull’s willingness to maintain the recent advantage it has had. « It simply shows the hunger that we have,” he expressed.
« We had such a dominant car last year that you wouldn’t expect us to change the concept so much. I think it’s really courageous of Red Bull to do so. It simply shows how much this team is striving to move forward and push all boundaries, concluded the Mexican.
The RB20 unveiled by Red Bull this Thursday evening does not seem to be the final one that will hit the track in Bahrain during pre-season testing. All eyes will then be on the car and the performance of the Austrian team on February 21st, 22nd, and 23rd.
