F1 | Red Bull: incredible, even the RB19 had a flaw!

In winter, all the Formula 1 teams can verify through the data coming from the simulations how large a step forward the new project has made compared to the previous one. The findings sometimes bring optimism in view of the season that is about to begin, in other cases it can ring an alarm bell.

In this last scenario, an example comes from McLaren, which found itself struggling last winter (in the virtual world) with a single-seater that did not allow for progress. After a quick reflection the project was abandoned and a race against time began which then gave life to the car which made its debut in the Austrian Grand Prix.

Normally, however, there is progress, but even if the numbers show a big step forward, there always remains a question mark which in the case of the current winter is only one: how much will Red Bull have grown?
“As far as we are concerned, we will change 95% of the components of the single-seater – declared Frederic Vasseur recently – but in the end it will be a question of tenths, and we are aware that if we improve by a larger margin compared to our opponents we will seem good, but if someone among the rival teams will be able to do better then everything will be scaled down.”

A first answer will come from the outcome of the pre-season tests but above all from the Bahrain Grand Prix, which will kick off the 2024 season. There is no doubt that the attention of Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren and Aston Martin (on paper the direct opponents of the Red Bull) will be on what the new single-seater created by Adrian Newey and his technical staff will be able to do, it will be the RB20 that will define the benchmark with which its opponents will have to compete.

The general motto in a period of technical stability is “evolve” and not “revolutionize”, but the fear that Red Bull could surprise has not yet completely disappeared. Max Verstappen recently spoke about the objectives with which the RB20 project started, certainly not mysterious targets and linked to what were the (few) weak points of the RB19.

“On the street circuits we weren't in the best conditions – explained Max – I mean curbs, bumps and slow corners. It's not a big deal, but we can do better in this area. The RB19 didn't absorb bumps as well as some of our rivals, and as a result in the slow corners our car was simply not as dominant as in the fast ones.”

Photo by: Jake Grant / Motorsport Images

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Red Bull's is a problem that many would like to have, that is, the challenge of improving an almost perfect car, but there is a small risk in reaching an impeccable balance in the end. As confirmed by Verstappen himself, the real secret of the RB19 was its general balance. Especially in the final part of the world championship, McLaren came very close in the high-speed sections, as did Ferrari in the street circuits. “But our car is an all-rounder,” commented Max, and that's what it takes to dominate a season that takes place on more than twenty different tracks.

There is also another aspect that will be very important to verify on Friday of the Bahrain Grand Prix, when the first qualifying sessions of the season will take place. In 2023, Red Bull's work was focused above all on the performance of the single-seater with full tanks, sacrificing optimal performance in qualifying. “Especially in the initial stages of the race, the car's work area in terms of the aerodynamic map is very different from that of qualifying – confirmed Verstappen – our single-seater was very versatile, but it didn't allow us great exploits in the fastest lap” .

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Here are some details that made the Red Bull RB19 almost unbeatable

However, a fundamental variable remains for those who hope to highlight Red Bull's weak points, and that is the basic margin compared to their opponents. Verstappen underlined what for him were the less optimal points of the 2023 project, but for those observing from the outside it is difficult to grasp the meaning of words spoken by someone who was able to win 19 Grands Prix in the space of a season.

Actually what Max said makes sense, because even in his moments of weakness Red Bull's opponents were unable to seize the opportunity (the only exception was the Singapore Grand Prix). This is because the basic gap faced by Mercedes, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin was confirmed to be so wide as to not allow overtaking even where the RB19 was not in its ideal hunting ground.

The most awaited answer, which will arrive from the start of the season, will be the one relating to the positioning of the RB20's direct opponents in terms of gap. If the margin is in the order of a tenth or two, then there will probably be the possibility of slipping into the cracks that could become visible from time to time, otherwise there will remain small critical issues that only Verstappen will continue to notice.