Red Bull will not officially present its car for the new Formula 1 season until Thursday at the factory in Milton Keynes. Now the car has already been spotted in advance.
Videos on X show the racing team’s secret shakedown in Silverstone on Tuesday. Max Verstappen completed his first laps in his new work machine on wet roads.
The public was not allowed on the traditional English route. An attentive fan probably watched the event from a nearby hotel.
The shakedown is the first outing of a new vehicle on the racetrack. For the first time, all systems can be actively tested there. The drivers also familiarize themselves with the handling of the car and give feedback on the driving experience. However, the FIA regulations limit how many kilometers can be completed within this framework.
From a purely technical perspective, the new Red Bull is apparently a further development of last year’s model. What is noticeable, however, are the continuous depressions that extend over the engine cover. Last year Mercedes chose a similar design.
Formula 1 car: Red Bull wants to optimize aerodynamics
There also appear to have been aerodynamic changes in the area of the side pods to optimize the air flow.
Technical director Adrian Newey had already announced in advance that Red Bull would not make any major adjustments to its formula. “Our car is the third evolution of the 2022 model,” said the 65-year-old in the in-house “Talking Bulls” podcast.
In addition to aerodynamics, Newey mentioned weight reduction as the main goal of the development. In 2023, the weight was above the permitted minimum and performance was wasted.
In the coming season, Red Bull should once again be favorites for the World Championship. But Newey wants to wait and see what the competition does.
“Of course we don’t know whether our evolution is too conservative and other teams have done something completely new. We just don’t know,” said Newey.