Toto Wolff, team boss of Mercedes and Red Bull Racing’s main competitor in F1 in the previous era, was, like all other people who follow the premier class, surprised at the new concept with which the RB20 took to the track in Bahrain during the test days. Besides the fact that Wolff praises the ‘courageous step’, he also has his doubts.
In conversation with the Austrian ORF, Wolff responds to Red Bull’s new concept for the 2024 season, which it suddenly came up with during last week’s testing days in Bahrain. Wolff recognizes a few things from the zero-sidepod concept that Mercedes has used. ‘There are a few things they took from our car. Not only the sidepods, but of course we also had our engine cover. We called it The Great Wall at the time. It may not be aesthetically pleasing, but the solution makes sense.”
Article continues below video
ALSO INTERESTING: Marko sees Ferrari as the biggest challenger Verstappen: “We have come closer”
Floor most important
Yet Wolff also questions the choice, because the sidepods are not everything. It is not without reason that during this new era, teams prefer not to show the floor of the car. According to Wolff, this is the most important part of cars in the current era. “The real performance comes through the floor. These are ground effect cars, which also involves downforce and mechanical handling characteristics. They have been very strong in that area in recent years, and there will probably have been further development in that area. I just don’t expect such a radical change as with bodywork.”
Wolff sees ‘courageous step’ Red Bull
According to Wolff, who has already tried the concept with Mercedes, it is certainly a bold step by Red Bull to go to the ‘zeropods’. “It’s a brave step because if they had been conservative they would have further developed a really good car. The data will always guide you in development, and the data will probably have shown that these new developments will have significantly more downside brings pressure. Otherwise Red Bull wouldn’t have done it.”
Bahrain Grand Prix can be watched for free this weekend via F1 TV
The new Formula 1 season is about to start! F1 TV Pro, the official streaming service of the premier class, offers a 7-day trial subscription with which you can watch the Bahrain Grand Prix free of charge.
Watch the F1 TV Pro action here.
