Adrian Newey, the Chief Technical Officer of Red Bull Racing, is expressing concern about whether the team has been too cautious in prioritizing the evolution of their 2024 Formula 1 car. Despite winning 10 out of the last 11 races in 2022 and triumphing in 21 out of 22 races last season, Red Bull is looking to optimize their current downwash concept as they enter the third season with the current ground effect cars. Newey, like Red Bull boss Christian Horner, anticipates that many teams will unveil cars in the upcoming weeks that bear a striking resemblance to Red Bull’s dominant RB19 from last year.
Speaking on Red Bull’s ‘Talking Bull’ podcast, Newey acknowledged that their first car under the new regulations, the RB18, laid a strong foundation for their research process and car architecture. They were able to develop a successful car throughout 2022, resulting in a strong second half of the season. However, Newey admits that they did not anticipate the level of domination they experienced last year and expected the grid to close up in 2023, the second season under the new regulations. He believes that their rivals have thoroughly analyzed their car this time and expects to see several cars that bear a resemblance to Red Bull’s design.
Ferrari and Mercedes encountered difficulties at the start of the previous season when they made the decision to stick with their respective design strategies from the prior campaign.
Both teams have now declared their intention to pursue revamped solutions in 2024, which has caused Newey to feel concerned that Red Bull may be caught off guard by their rivals.
“Our car for this year will be a significant evolution of the ’22 car,” he clarified.
“So our car from last year was an evolution of the ’22 car, with the main focus being the usual winter development in terms of aerodynamics, some improvements made to the suspension to enhance the car, and efforts to reduce its weight as we never reached the weight limits in ’22.
“This year’s car represents the third evolution of the original RB18. However, what remains uncertain is whether this third evolution is too cautious compared to the different approaches others have taken. It’s simply impossible to know.
“It’s a challenging situation. We are constrained by our resources, meaning we cannot do everything and explore every possibility. Therefore, we have chosen to continue developing the path we have already taken. Hopefully, this will prove to be the sensible decision.”
