Max Verstappen had a highly successful season in 2023, with Sergio Perez closely following after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. Red Bull Racing was the final team to showcase their new car for the 2024 season, and there is speculation surrounding a particular aspect of the car that captured everyone’s attention.
Verstappen and Perez are hopeful that the RB20 will replicate the dominance of the RB19 from the previous year. During an interview on the Autosport Podcast, journalist Alex Kalinauckas shared the initial reactions of reporters upon seeing the new car.
The start of the 2024 car launch season was overshadowed by the major news of Lewis Hamilton departing Mercedes to join Ferrari at the end of the season. This news will have long-lasting effects, as it was arguably Red Bull’s supremacy that prompted Hamilton to make such a significant career move. Hamilton has not won a race since 2021, and Mercedes failed to secure a single victory last year.
In 2023, Verstappen had an almost unbeatable streak, with Perez trailing behind him after the Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The only disruption to Red Bull’s potential clean sweep came from Carlos Sainz. Now, their challenge is to surpass their performance from last year with the RB20.
While many teams draw inspiration from their previous year’s car, Red Bull presented a model with notable differences. However, Kalinauckas suggests that the launch car may have featured an artificial component. The team was hesitant to disclose all their secrets before the Bahrain testing, which commenced on Wednesday.
Discussing the latest creation from Adrian Newey and his team, Kalinauckas commented, “The car that everyone has seen today is the launch spec car, it’s what the team starts the season with.” He also mentioned that there was speculation among those present that the floor of the car was not genuine, but rather a fake floor that appeared solid.
It is unlikely that Red Bull would waste carbon fiber on a fake floor, so it is expected that they will unveil their genuine floor once they hit the track in Bahrain. This strategy of not revealing the exact car for the season is common among many teams. For example, Williams only revealed their new livery at their launch event.
In addition to their pursuit of another championship, Red Bull also faces a decision regarding Sergio Perez’s future. While Perez has stated that it is not his main focus, it will undoubtedly be on his mind and the minds of his competitors who aspire to drive for Red Bull in the future.
According to the source formula1news.co.uk
