Red Bull’s reveal of the RB20 has really taken the world of F1 by a storm. While the livery delivered what everyone expected, beneath the trademark Bulls’ colors lay Adrian Newey’s latest masterstroke. The British engineer has really taken a drastic evolutionary step from the all-conquering RB19, with the sidepods catching the eye. Many have touted Newey to have adopted and perfected Mercedes’ failed ‘zero-pods‘ concept. That being said, with the team being built up for yet another year of domination, Max Verstappen has come out to curb the enthusiasm.
Last year, Red Bull registered arguably the greatest Formula 1 season ever. The Milton Keynes-based team won 21 out of the 22 races, with Verstappen taking 19 wins. The Dutchman wrapped his third consecutive championship up with ease and broke a multitude of records along the way. However, while speaking to ESPN UK, the 26-year-old dismissed the idea that the team could repeat, or even better, the results of 2023.
Verstappen explained, “I mean, of course, you try to have another season like that. I think it’s quite unrealistic.” The three-time world champion seems to have underplayed his team’s chances this year when he remarked that the he hopes the team can at least be “competitive” with the RB20.
The sidepods on the RB20 have created a buzz amongst the fans and in the paddock. While from preliminary pictures it looks as though the team has gone for vertical inlets on the design, as compared to the commonplace horizontal ones, the pictures are not clear enough to definitively prove the same. The last time a team tried such a revolutionary design, it was Mercedes at the start of 2022, and that failed miserably.
Has Adrian Newey fixed Mercedes’ flaws with the RB20?
Back in 2022, Mercedes debuted the ‘zero-pods‘ concept and it was dubbed as the most innovative solution to the 2022 regulations. With virtually no conventional sidepods, the Silver Arrows were touted to continue their streak of dominance in the sport. However, from the very first race, it was clear that they had failed the experiment.
Despite poor performances and Lewis Hamilton’s title chances getting destroyed, the team adamantly retained the design for 2023 as well. However, after realizing their mistakes, Mercedes binned that concept for a more conventional sidepod design from the 2023 Monaco GP onwards.
The team saw an instant boost in pace. However, it wasn’t enough to propel them towards the front of the grid. In fact, this exposed the aerodynamic flaws of the entire package as the W14 became an unpredictable mess to drive. They still secured P2 in the Constructors’ championship at Abu Dhabi – a whopping 451 points behind Red Bull.
Naturally, Red Bull now resorting to a similar aero-design philosophy is a big gamble. That being said, if they do get it right, Adrian Newey could carve himself out as the greatest designer in the entire history of this sport.
