McLaren team boss Andrea Stella said he thought “wow” when he saw the Red Bull RB20, but their expected advantage over the rest of the teams may be created by things we can't see. unknown.
There was already a lot of intrigue surrounding Red Bull going into F1 in 2024 after their incredible dominance last season, when they won 21 of the 22 Grands Prix held, but an unexpected shift in concept with the RB20 The conspiracy is said to have become even more intense.
While many rivals have previously used Red Bull's sweeping design from the ground effects era as inspiration for their 2024 challengers, Red Bull has moved the goalposts with the RB20. This looks radically different from what other teams have put on the track for the upcoming new season. .
Red Bull RB20 could surprise McLaren bosses
Additional reporting by Thomas Maher
It's safe to say that Red Bull's drastic changes have surprised many in the F1 paddock, with McLaren boss Stella saying his reaction when he first saw the RB20, the challenger McLaren hopes to take on, was simply ” With their MCL38, they revealed that it was amazing.
But while Red Bull's innovation is “brave”, Stellar says the team's dominance in 2023, with the team switching focus to the RB20 mid-season, gives them the confidence to explore this new avenue protected by the luxury of time. I feel it.
“I have to say that when I saw the car, I thought, 'Wow,'” Stella told media outlets including PlanetF1.com's Thomas Maher.
“They certainly had the courage to change some of the geometry that made this car such a success last year.
“I think they were able to enjoy that advantage last year. It gave them the confidence to take some risks in terms of timelines because they didn't know if it was going to work or not. We can take these risks early on to see for ourselves.”
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Ferrari set the pace in pre-season testing in Bahrain, but it is widely believed that Red Bull are once again the fastest team in the F1 paddock.
And Stella warned that the secret to Red Bull's progress may lie not in what meets the eye, but in how the RB20 is performing underneath.
“What I'm saying is that while there are innovations that you can see microscopically, a lot of things are done in these regulations down to the millimeter, and a lot of things are done in the eye between the underside of the car and the ground. “It's happening behind the scenes,” he continued.
“So while this may be the most visible thing, it’s not necessarily the most impactful thing in terms of moving them forward.”
Red Bull's Max Verstappen is aiming to win his fourth world championship in F1 in 2024. He won a record-breaking 19 Grands Prix last year, including a new F1 benchmark, including 10 consecutive wins.
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