Max Verstappen is the most in-form star in F1 at the moment driving the most dominant car. When asked about other teams potentially copying the design of the RB19, Verstappen decided to make fun of his rival Lewis Hamilton’s team Mercedes, and their infamous zero-sidepod concept.
At the 2023 Monaco GP, when Sergio Perez crashed his car, the Red Bull RB19 was lifted high into the air by a crane. Consequently, the car was left on display for a significant amount of time while suspended mid-air, and its floor was exposed. Because of Red Bull being faster than any other team on the track, fans started wondering if others would copy their design.
Verstappen, however, is unbothered about this. During the Spanish GP weekend, when reporters asked the Dutchman how he felt about other teams emulating Red Bull, he took it as an opportunity to remind everyone of Mercedes’ recent failure.
Max Verstappen reminds fans of Mercedes’ disastrous design
When Mercedes first revealed the zero-sidepod design on last year’s W13, fans were extremely surprised. Still, their recent success in the sport led to some fans trusting that their uniqueness would bear some fruit. Unfortunately, they ended up having a miserable season, with just one win and a third-place finish in the standings.
This year too, Mercedes started off by continuing with their zero-sidepod concept. This was until James Allison returned and changed the sidepod completely. For now, they have gotten rid of this idea that was supposedly limiting their performance for all these months, but Verstappen hasn’t forgotten this bizarre approach.
As quoted by Tami on Twitter, when asked about other teams copying the RB19, Verstappen said, “I think our next upgrade will be with no sidepods. Then everyone can go back to that.”
Sidepods aren’t the only key to success
Verstappen smiled when he talked about Red Bull getting rid of the sidepods in their upcoming upgrade package. However, he also insisted that having or not having them in the car isn’t the only thing that determines success.
“It’s not just about the sidepods,” he said to Motorsport. “Which are especially suited to the way we designed the whole car. And I have to say that I am not even an aerodynamic specialist.”
Verstappen was unstoppable on Saturday, as he grabbed his first ever pole position in Barcelona. Hamilton meanwhile, could muster only a P4 finish. The Briton will start the race behind Verstappen, Carlos Sainz and Lando Norris, but will definitely aim for a top three finish.
Verstappen meanwhile, will be aiming for win to extend his lead at the summit of the championship standings.
