Ahead of its official unveiling scheduled for Thursday at the team’s headquarters in Milton Keynes, Red Bull intended to keep its 2024 contender under wraps following some preliminary testing.
Nonetheless, despite efforts to maintain secrecy around Max Verstappen‘s initial laps in the RB20 on Tuesday, being an event not open to the public, footage from an onlooker—presumably shot from the hotel facing the Silverstone pit lane—has provided an early look at the new Red Bull machine.
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Although the spy photos do not reveal extensive details due to their quality, they suggest that the RB20 closely follows the design philosophy of its predecessor, the championship-winning RB19, with noticeable evolutionary tweaks.
Noteworthy modifications include continuous gulleys along the engine cover, echoing a design feature seen on the previous year’s Mercedes, and a revamped front sidepod area. This latter change introduces a pronounced undercut, enhancing airflow in a vital segment, indicative of Red Bull’s ambition for aerodynamic optimisation.
During the limited shakedown, Red Bull also conducted a promotional event featuring a race between the RB20 and the inaugural RB1 model from 2005, highlighting the evolution of their cars over two decades.
It is speculated that the RB20 version tested at Silverstone represents only the initial specification, as Red Bull traditionally withholds full details of its race-ready configurations until closer to competitive events. This strategy implies potential significant updates for the upcoming pre-season test in Bahrain or the season’s first race at the Sakhir circuit, potentially altering the car’s appearance significantly.
Adrian Newey, Red Bull’s chief technical officer, recently shared on the Talking Bulls podcast that the team has decided to continue with its foundational car design for a third consecutive year. This decision is based on the design’s proven success in the era of ground effect aerodynamics, suggesting a strategic focus on refining a winning formula: “Our car, it’s very much a third evolution of the 22 car.
“Last year’s car was an evolution of ’22 in its main points being of course, the normal winter development in terms of aerodynamics, some understanding on what we needed to do with suspension to try to improve the car as well, and getting weight out of it, because we never got down to the weight limit in ’22.
“This year’s car is the third evolution of that original RB18. What we don’t know, of course, is the third evolution too conservative, while others have done something different? You just don’t know.”
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