Red Bull completely dominates the 2023 Formula 1 season, emerging victorious in all races except the Singapore GP, won by Carlos Sainz of Ferrari. Their RB19 car was undoubtedly the best on the field.
However, the 2024 season proved that Red Bull was not resting on its laurels. While their competitors struggled to imitate the design of their car, Red Bull took a radical approach and surprised the F1 paddock with its innovative sidepod design, featuring vertical intakes and an impressive undercut.
The surprise was not limited to Red Bull’s rivals; their partners at Honda were also surprised when asked to make changes to the power unit for the RB20 design. The President of Honda Racing Corporation, in an interview with Motorsport.com, shed some light on their collaboration with Red Bull during the development of the RB20.
He expressed his surprise, saying: «We were very surprised to see the extent of the changes made to the RB20. Despite winning 21 of the 22 races together last year, Red Bull still decided to change the concept. It’s truly amazing! They made numerous requests to adapt our engine to the new concept, and we were surprised when we saw the RB20 in person.»
Although the changes involved revising mounting points and relocating radiators, among other modifications, Honda focused on improving the reliability of their power unit. Unlike performance improvements, reliability improvements are allowed under the current engine freeze regulations.
El Presidente enfatizó: «Aunque no podemos aumentar la potencia debido al congelamiento del motor, podemos adaptar el motor para que se ajuste al nuevo coche. Además, podemos trabajar en mejorar la fiabilidad del motor. Eso es en lo que nos hemos centrado durante el último invierno. Esto ha permitido a Red Bull tener más flexibilidad en su diseño y concepto aerodinámico, permitiéndoles cambiar la posición de los enfriadores de aceite, radiadores y más.»
También explicó: «El año pasado enfrentamos algunos riesgos de dañar la unidad de potencia, aunque esto no se convirtió en problemas significativos al final. Sin embargo, siempre buscamos minimizar cualquier riesgo. Es por eso que hemos hecho nuestro mejor esfuerzo para mejorar aún más la fiabilidad del motor para este año.»
Mirando hacia el futuro, Honda se asociará con Aston Martin en 2026, y Watanabe afirmó recientemente que están apuntando a desafiar por el título con la llegada de las nuevas regulaciones.
