Following the reigning World Champions Red Bull’s launching event of the RB20, the Formula 1 community has been taken by surprise and awe. The Red Bull camp, and especially their fans, looks to be head over heels with the RB20 and seem super-confident ahead of the new season.
Max Verstappen—reigning 3x World Champion—shared his first impressions on the RB20, after taking a shakedown run with it in a soaking Silverstone circuit.
Max Verstappen’s positive RB20 remark rattles F1 rivals
The Red Bull speedsters Max Verstappen and Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez took out the RB20 onto the wet Silverstone circuit and performed the RB20’s first shakedown run a day or two before the launching event on February 15th. After the first test drive with his 2024 F1 challenger, Verstappen shared his personal insights about the car’s performance.
Speaking during the post-shakedown interview with RBR, he viewed the RB20’s performance on a positive note, although he couldn’t test the car’s limits due to the bad British weather.
“Unfortunately, it was a bit of a rainy day, but I think the first feelings are good. I felt comfortable. That’s the most important,” he spoke.
With this ‘positive’ evaluation, the 3x F1 Champion possibly hinted that he’s ready to continue his F1 dominance with the RB20 and sent a subtle warning to his rivals in the process.
Looking forward to RB’s pre-season testing in Bahrain, Verstappen added, “Now I’m just looking forward to driving in Bahrain and to start to understand the car a bit more.”
Max Verstappen will be testing the RB20- along with its ‘revolutionary’ Mercedes-like upgrades from 21st to 23rd February as Red Bull travels to Bahrain for the first pre-season testing.
Helmut Marko praises RB20’s ‘revolutionary’ Mercedes-like upgrades
The design philosophy of the ‘aggressive looking’ RB20 displays Red Bull shifting away from several major trends it started in the ‘new F1 rules’ era, except in some areas which have a striking resemblance to the initial ’23 Mercedes concept.
The most notable feature of the RB20 that resembles the 2023 Mercedes design is the sidepods, which have taken the concept of closing the inlets to the extreme. The upright radiator inlet closely resembles that of the original zero sidepod of Mercedes from 2022. However, unlike the 2022 Mercedes inlet, Red Bull has reshaped the vertical inlets to create a significantly large undercut at the front. This sidepod concept positions the inlets high and shields them with the upper lip (tray).
Regarding the RB20’s Mercedes-inspired features, Helmut Marko—who is the current director of the RB F1 team—shared his positive views on this new design approach.
Comparing the RB20’s features with Mercedes’, he said, “It’s more than an evolution. It’s a small revolution. It is the basis of what will be used in 2024.”
“In terms of simulation and the wind tunnel, it all worked very well,” Marko added, explaining the RB20’s positive aero-testing results.
The ‘absolute monster’ RB20 and its ‘revolutionary’ Mercedes-like upgrades will be put to the test on 2nd March, as Red Bull travels to Bahrain for the season-opener Grand Prix.
Can Verstappen ‘comfortably’ win his fourth World Championship in a row with the RB20? Will the RB20 and its Mercedes-like upgrades be even more dominating than last season? Let us know your predictions in the comments.
