Red Bull’s 2024 F1 challenger has come as a shock to many as Adrian Newey and Co. have prepared a car that many regard as a big evolution from its predecessor. The Austrian team unveiled a Mercedes-like sidepod inlet in the RB20, something the Silver Arrows dropped last year from their concept. Now, much like everyone else, Verstappen also shared his take to reveal if his team took inspiration from its rival.
Red Bull stopped working on their RB19 from the mid-season of 2023 and redirected all the resources to the RB20. Therefore, anyone expecting the champion team to make minimal changes to the already dominant car should have known better. Admittedly, the sidepod inlet of the RB20 looks quite similar to the initial bodywork of the Mercedes W14. However, there’s a difference.
While rivals incorporated Red Bull’s letterbox-shaped inlet on the RB19, Newey took the RB20 to another level keeping the competitors scratching their heads. The current setting shows the sidepod is slimmer than before and has a bigger initial undercut.
When it comes to the vertical inlet, it’s not new in Formula 1, but rare in this generation of cars. Here, Newey and his team enhanced the use of the inlet by having it attached to the sidepod. Something the Silver Arrows didn’t do as they brought in the zero sidepod design, which ultimately failed.
Mercedes W14 vs. Red Bull RB20 #AMuS #F1 pic.twitter.com/1mMdY1iMsz
— Tobi Grüner (@tgruener) February 15, 2024
This has come amid Mercedes’ move to go for a Red Bull-like conventional sidepod and engine cover from 2023. When asked if this technique was inspired by Mercedes, Verstappen told RacingNews365 as per RBR Daily, “I would still call it Red Bull-style… But I see what you mean.”
Sergio Perez also had his take on this. He agreed according to The Race that the RB20 looks a bit similar to the initial W14 bodywork. Christian Horner, the team principal lauded his team’s engineers after they managed to push the boundaries with the new car. According to Horner, the changes are extremely performance-driven and are not tactical in any way.
How did fans react to Red Bull’s RB20?
Fans as well as experts were on social media to share their take on the new RB20. They found instances that showed how the car is quite identical to the W14, but Newey enhanced it in his own way. Given below are some of the reactions Twitter (formerly X)
Toni Sokolov believes Red Bull can make it work, unlike Mercedes.
There is that vertical sidepod cooling inlet in Mercedes style. They’re really going to make THAT work.#F1 pic.twitter.com/phBd6uGYgd
— Toni Sokolov (@tonisokolov1011) February 15, 2024
Will Buxton is doubting Newey’s bravery on the Mercedes way while posing the question of will the Red Bull genius make it work?
High haunches and vertical side pod openings? Just as Mercedes move away from the concept has Newey managed to make it work? https://t.co/YC6zjp8zz0
— Will Buxton (@wbuxtonofficial) February 15, 2024
Ahmed Bakobah credits Newey for ‘playing games’ with the entire grid.
Adrian Newey really let everyone and top F1 teams copy some of RB18 and RB19 designs and philosophies , now he copied theirs just to show them it can work and dominate . pic.twitter.com/beLzdzVHbS
— ahmed baokbah ✈️ (@ahmed_baokbah) February 15, 2024
Experts believe that Red Bull has once again raised the benchmark just when the other teams were understanding their concept to catch up. From the looks of it, the RB20 seems like another all-conquering piece of F1 machinery.
However, as the season gets underway, we will know how much will the risk of a tweak in its philosophy pay off for the Austrian team.
