The 2023 Hungarian GP qualifying was full of major talking points in the F1 world. Apart from Lewis Hamilton claiming his first pole position since 2021, the most significant point of discussion came from Hamilton accusing Red Bull of exploiting the F1 rules. The British driver questioned the lack of Red Bull’s DRS demonstration during the qualifying, hinting towards a possible ban by the FIA on the RB19’s advanced system. However, it is a surprise to Pierre Wache that other teams are still wondering about Red Bull’s implementation of the system, even two years later.
According to the stats, the RB19s have a 10 percent advantage over any other car in the F1, which means that when deployed, their DRS will outperform every other car. The dominance was in full flow at the Saudi Arabian GP when Verstappen flew past Hamilton, with the latter claiming it was the fastest car he had ever seen.
The 7-time champion isn’t the only one to suffer at the hands of a supreme Red Bull DRS. Everyone who dared to challenge the car faced its wrath. The most interesting here is the fact that Red Bull has had this DRS tech for two years now, and Wache believes it’s a surprise no team has caught on.
Pierre Wache can’t believe other teams haven’t figured out Red Bull’s DRS yet
The RB19 cars have been extremely efficient this year. They have the perfect balance of craftsmanship and technology to give them a winning recipe. However, most people have questioned their use of the DRS, with many claiming they have “tricked up” the system to give them an edge. As Per Red Bull’s top engineer Wache, their cars have no tricks up their sleeves, and it astounds him how no other team has been able to catch on with what they are doing, even two years later.
“The crazy thing is people are talking about it two years after we introduced it. We’ve had hundreds of tests by the FIA to see if we’ve used a trick or something, and people [even recently] don’t understand why on high-downforce tracks the advantage disappears. Ok, that means they still haven’t managed to understand it. And that surprises us a lot.”
With an exceptional DRS, the Red Bull cars have a distinct advantage on their side. But Wache thinks another element of the car acts as its main strength.
The RB19’s main strength lies in its aerodynamic design
While everyone believes Red Bull has “super DRS,” Wache says no “magic” is behind their system. Instead, he hails their cars’ aerodynamic design as the most critical factor in their dominating displays. The engineer said the system’s effectiveness is because of the concept of their cars. When the car’s wing is closed, they don’t have as much drag as the others; hence, the drivers get more speed when it opens. Wache says their strength is “purely aerodynamic.”
With Adrian Newey as their CTO, Red Bull has adapted to the latest regulations in the F1 with ease. Under his charge, Red Bull saw the RB18 outperform everyone else in the 2022 season. Another creation by Newey, the RB19, has been seeing a level of success no car has ever seen before.
Having won 12 races out of 12, Red Bull has dominated the field in 2023. The RB19 has shown no signs of weakness throughout the season, and Red Bull will be hoping for their car to continue performing the way they want it to.
