Feb 15, 2024 at 9:00 PM Update: a day ago
Red Bull Racing presented the car for the coming Formula 1 season at its factory in Milton Keynes on Thursday. With the RB20, Max Verstappen hopes to win his fourth consecutive world title.
The RB20 is clearly an evolution of the very successful RB19, the car that won all but one of the races of the season in 2023. However, Verstappen’s team does not reveal much during the presentation. The actual first version of the car will be on the track during the winter tests in Bahrain.
Yet something can already be deduced from the car as it was presented on Thursday. The technical team led by Adrian Newey and Pierre Waché has clearly gone further with the shape of the sidepods.
The underline, which provides space for airflow over the important floor of the car, is extremely slim. This also applies to the air intakes of the sidepods, which appear smaller than on the RB19.
This is an important area of development for Formula 1 teams, because the intakes provide cooling air to the engine, but also air resistance. Ideally, they are so small that the engine gets just enough cooling.
Photo: NU.nl/Joost Nederpelt
The hood is also extremely slim
Further back, the same applies as for the sidepods themselves: taking an existing trend even more extreme. In this case it concerns the hood, which is so slim that there is plenty of room for the air flows to the rear.
The horizontal edge running towards the rear has risen further and ends at the exhaust. This higher hood is reminiscent of the 2023 Mercedes.
Red Bull was already a trendsetter with the way the team designed the suspension. This is a pull-rod system at the front, push-rod at the rear. Many competitors are now also following this path. At Red Bull everything has remained the same.
Photo: NU.nl/Joost Nederpelt
Newey: ‘You never know what competitors have done’
Red Bull has tried to improve the RB19’s weaknesses, Newey said at the presentation. The team knows that the car’s platform is good.
“The first impressions on the track on Tuesday were in line with what we expected. But the nice thing about Formula 1 remains that you never know what the competition has done. You can think you are in a good position, but then it turns out on the track that another team has done an even better job.”
Verstappen himself did not want to look ahead yet, because he does not yet have a good idea of the competition. Red Bull also covered certain matters, such as the edge of the floor. “We don’t really see the car here that will drive in Bahrain anyway. You can’t tell too much from the launch of the cars yet. We’ll see how we are doing there.”
The RB20 from the front. Photo: Red Bull
Everything is the same in terms of drivers
Just like the previous two seasons, Verstappen and Pérez form the driving duo for Red Bull, which won both the drivers’ and constructors’ titles last year. The originally Austrian team has dominated Formula 1 with Verstappen for the last two years.
Christian Horner was also present at the presentation. The British team boss is under investigation for inappropriate behavior. It is not yet known whether the outcome of that investigation will have consequences for his position.
With the unveiling of the new Red Bull, all cars have now been presented. The Formula 1 season unofficially starts next Wednesday with the first of three test days in Bahrain. The first Grand Prix of the season is scheduled for March 2 in the same country.
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