The designer shows some doubts about the car which will be presented on February 15: “The RB20 is a development of the previous one based on what we have, also because resources are limited: let’s see if it will be sufficient against what the others have done”
In home Red Bull tranquility does not seem to reign. Besides the controversial Horner casefears of Adrian Newey about the new car. According to the British designer, in fact, the RB20which will be employed by Max Verstappen And Sergio Perez In the World Cup 2024, may have lost much of the edge it exhibited throughout last season. A magical 2023, made up of 21 victories in 22 rounds, complete with the best scoring percentage ever in F1: 95.4%. The famous one McLaren Of Ayrton Senna And Alain Prostin 1988, had gone as far as 93.7%.
choices
—
That superiority seems unlikely to be replicated from Newey’s perspective. The engineer expressed his doubts during the podcast Talking Bull: “Our car will be a third evolution of the RB18 (the 2022 car, ed). We don’t know if it will be the right choice or if it will be too conservative compared to what others have done. But ultimately, should we dedicate a working group to evaluate new ideas? Or continue on the path taken?”. A choice also partly linked to precise reasons: “Resources are limited, you can’t do everything. We decided to develop what we have. I just hope that the move turns out to be correct.” The presentation of the RB20 is set for February 15th.
neighbors
—
What worries Newey is not only the philosophy of the new Red Bull: the British engineer is convinced that its opponents, starting from Ferrari And Mercedes, were already getting closer at the end of 2023: “At the end of the season we managed to win all the races except Singapore, but everyone was on our tail. The pressure got high.” There are two examples to support his thesis: “In Austin we were about to lose. We took a risk by aiming for an extra stop and Verstappen completed the job. In Las Vegas, however, it was Leclerc with the Ferrari who was the fastest driver. Even in that case Max made the difference.” Clear signals according to Newey: will they be enough to counter the Red Bull monopoly?
© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED