Red Bull has presented today Wednesday the new single-seater with which Max Verstappen will defend his Formula 1 crown this season, again alongside his teammate Sergio Perez. Those of Milton Keynes, who incorporate Oracle as main sponsor, have once again surprised with the superb design of the RB18, the latest creation of the ‘genius’ Adrian Newey. A car that, like all of its rivals, which we will get to know in the coming days, represents a revolutionary change in concept to adapt to the regulations that come into force from this year in Formula 1.
Red Bull, which in 2021 competed with an evolution of the previous year’s car in the wake of the pandemic, jump directly from the RB16B to the RB18.Verstappen he parks the number #33 and recovers the number #1 that corresponds to him as world champion. Since Sebastian Vettel wore it on the grid in 2014, in his farewell to Red Bull after winning four titles, no driver had used it again. Lewis Hamilton always rejected it and Nico Rossberg he retired after winning his title in 2016. “Of course the car looks better with the 1 than with the 33,” joked Max.
Looking at the future
The intense outcome of the 2021 World Cup, marked by a controversial decision by the FIA race director Michael Massi it’s history for Max Verstappen , who considers himself the just champion after a great season in which he had 10 wins and 10 pole positions: “I think I really deserved the title. People always remember the last race, but if you look at the whole season, the championship should have been decided much earlier and it wasn’t because I was unlucky.”
Red Bull keeps its pair of drivers. Verstappen He will play his seventh season with the energy drinks team, which has already begun negotiating to ‘tie’ its star beyond 2023, when the Dutchman’s contract expires. For his part, ‘Czech’ Perez, who joined the team last season, has earned their trust after perfectly fulfilling his role as Max’s squire, as well as bringing Red Bull’s haul of victories to 11 with his victory at the Azerbaijan GP. The Mexican faces the next course with ambition and willing to expand his personal track record.
After Haas kicked off the Formula 1 presentations last Friday, the Red Bull car is the second to be unveiled. It will be followed by Aston Martin, tomorrow, February 10, and McLaren, on Friday 11. To discover the appearance of the new Ferrari F1-75 and Mercedes W13, two of the single-seaters that generate the most expectation, we will have to wait until next week, the days 17 and 18, respectively, while the Alpine A522 of Fernando Alonso It will be released on February 21, two days before the start of the preseason at the Circuit de Barcelona.