Amid heavy expectations and internal controversy surrounding Christian Horner, Red Bull launched their 2024 challenger on 15th February. The RB19 was a monster on the track so the hopes were the same for her successor- the RB20. It seems like the Austrian outfit has ‘one-upped’ themselves, with an update on X by user Clara showcasing Adrian Newey strike fear into the hearts and minds of Red Bull’s rivals.
Launching the RB20 Our challenger for 2024 pic.twitter.com/JVFWRq4qKs
— Oracle Red Bull Racing (@redbullracing) February 15, 2024
The design genius revealed that they had made upgrades in each department. Despite the same, he adopted a cautious approach, not making any big claims about the team’s performance.
“We’ve made some improvements to the car, in all areas. Is that enough? Who knows? We’ll have to see.”
Newey’s words would be enough to strike fear in the hearts of all the teams on the grid, especially after the 2023 season. RB20’s shakedown video at the Silverstone circuit only furthers the anticipation of an extremely dominant car on the track. The sound seemingly coming from the car has fans in awe of what is to come in 2024.
As a Ferrari fan I had high hopes for us this year but then Red Bull goes and shows us they built an actual rocket ship
— Des❄️ (@ctrl_alt_dez) February 15, 2024
Red Bull is confident they will be able to continue their dominance owing to the RB20’s innovative design. Furthermore, the latest twin vertical inlets have the potential to become a groundbreaking innovation in F1, capable of pushing Red Bull further ahead of the competition.
Red Bull did not do a good enough job in 2023
Max Verstappen was at his relentless best in the RB19. The Dutchman won a staggering 19 of 22 races in 2023, setting the record for most wins in an F1 season. He also secured the record for most consecutive wins in F1 (10), surpassing the previous record of 9, set by Sebastian Vettel. If that wasn’t enough, the Dutchman led 1003 of 1325 (76%) of total laps in 2023. He proved pivotal in Red Bull completing a historic season, accumulating 860 points in the constructors’ championship.
The best footage so far of Max Verstappen driving the RB20 at Silverstone. It certainly sounds like a rocket ship too.
(via: Lukuss on Youtube) pic.twitter.com/HXz1M1Tply
— Daniel Valente ️ (@F1GuyDan) February 14, 2024
However, Red Bull’s Technical Director, Pierre Wache, believes they did not do an “amazing job” in 2023. He believes they were good, but a key factor in the Austrian team’s dominance was the slip-up by the other teams.
The team identified several problems with their car, but it did not prove to be a hindrance owing to the weaknesses in other teams’ cars. As such, Wache claimed the RB20 will be a major step up from the previous generation, as Red Bull has done a much better job of addressing the car’s shortcomings.
