Red Bull surprises with concept change on RB20.
Red Bull has become the final Formula 1 team to launch its 2024 car, saying it has been brave in choosing to change concept with the RB20 despite last year’s dominant season.
The RB19 was an evolution of the previous year’s championship winner and duly went on to become the most dominant car in Formula 1 history, winning all but one of the 23 races, with Max Verstappen alone picking up 19 victories. Amid those results, the car was beaten on a number of occasions in qualifying and Red Bull has opted to update its concept.
“I am quite happy with the direction the team has choose for the car this season," said three time world champion Max Verstappen. “I saw the drawings I think in Abu Dhabi, the last race, and I said ‘Wow, thats quite different in a way.’ They have not been conservative, let’s say it like that. I think what I like about the team is that we had a great package, but they took the chance to really go all out and make it better."
“Of course, time will tell if it’s really, really good. From what I see within the team, everyone is just happy with what they have achieved in the winter. But then again, we don’t know. We can’t control what the other people did.
“I think it’s controlled aggressiveness. It doesn’t seem like it’s a question mark of what they’ve done, like, they’re not entirely sure.”
Perez believes the changes are a sign of how much Red Bull wants to maintain the recent advantage it has had.
“It just shows the hunger that we have,” Perez said. “We have such a dominant car last year that you wouldn’t expect us to change the concept that much, you know? I think it is really brave from Red Bull to do. It just shows how much this team is looking to move forward and push all the boundaries.”While the all-important floor naturally remains unseen, the engine cover features a Mercedes-style approach while team principal Christian Horner says there are some significant innovations included.
“It’s not tactical, it’s based on performance and what we’re seeing through our simulation tools," Horner said. “Obviously the car looks quite visibly different in certain areas to last year. Only the stopwatch will tell but in the virtual world we wouldn’t have committed it to design if we didn’t feel it was better. It’s marginal gains in all areas, so you’re constantly looking to try and evolve. If you look at the detail on the car there’s some really exquisite detail. And I think the team… there’s been no complacency. They’ve continued to evolve, to push the boundaries. I think there’s some great innovation on the car as well, which will no doubt get scrutinized over the coming weeks. Creativity has been strong in the team and you can see that in some of the solutions that they’ve come up with. It’s not a conservative evolution — there’s some great innovation on this car."
“This is a momentous year in the Team’s history," added Horner. “Over the past 20 years, Red Bull has succeeded in changing the landscape of Formula One and it has done it by being determined to do things differently, by being committed to playing hard and racing even harder and by being utterly focused on competing for the biggest prizes in the sport. We’ve been lucky enough to do that on multiple occasions and seven Drivers’ titles, six Constructors’ Championship wins and 113 race victories to date demonstrate the success of Red Bull’s vision for the Team. The latest chapter of that story starts today with the RB20. It’s going to a thrilling and hugely competitive season but as we saw last year, this is a team operating at the peak of its powers and in Max and Checo we have two drivers who can deliver at every circuit, in any conditions, so I’m confident that, just as we have done for the past 20 years, we can compete for podiums, wins and hopefully more championships.”
Beyond 20 years of Oracle Red Bull Racing, the 2024 season also marks sixty years since Honda’s first participation in Formula 1, when the RA271 made its competitive debut at the 1964 German GP with driver Ronnie Bucknum.
This season, Oracle Red Bull Racing powered by Honda RBPT’s leading PU technology aims to secure its fourth consecutive Drivers’ and third consecutive Constructors’ Formula 1 World Championship titles.
As defending champions, the team swept to the Drivers’ and Constructors’ titles last season – the Honda RBPTH001 powering the RB19 to a record-beating 21 wins from 22 races for an unrivaled 95.5% win rate.
MILTON KEYNES, ENGLAND - FEBRUARY 15: A general view inside the Red Bull Racing Factory during the Oracle Red Bull Racing RB20 car launch at Red Bull Racing Factory on February 15, 2024 in Milton Keynes, England. (Photo by Bob McCaffrey/Getty Images for Red Bull Racing) // SI202402150766 // Usage for editorial use only //
Max Verstappen poses for a portrait during Red Bull Racing 2024 Season Launch RB20 in London, UK on January 30, 2024 // Will Cornelius / Content Pool // SI202402140472 // Usage for editorial use only //
“Forever Rebl” Campaign
For Red Bull, the 2024 Season Launch kicked off a year of celebrations, that will explore the Team’s impact on F1 on and off the track, and how it grew from paddock upstarts to multiple championship winners.
Forever Rebl was created to highlight the role of Red Bull culture in developing a team that has continued to push the boundaries of the sport, since its F1 debut at the 2005 Australian Grand Prix. Forever Rebl will see the Team develop a series of special events and activations throughout the year, each designed to get fans closer to the Team and its 20 year history.
From building on last year’s Make Your Mark livery competition with new and even more exciting opportunities for fans to add their creative touch to this year’s car, to stunning collaborations in art and fashion, that will also result in exclusive merchandise. From multiple in-person events around the globe to giving fans the chance to get their hands on unique pieces of memorabilia that spans the Team’s two decades in F1. Forever Rebl will put the Team’s faithful right at the heart of the celebrations.
And with that spirit in mind, fans were firmly in focus at today’s 2024 Season Launch. Last year, via The Paddock, the Team’s fans were offered the chance to virtually present the launch on their social channels, but this year for the launch of the landmark RB20, a select group of lucky fans were handed the opportunity to attend the launch in person, at the Red Bull Technology Campus.
Over 350 fans, Team partners and members of the media packed out a state-of-the-art, bespoke built set, to welcome the RB20 to the racing world. 13-time Grand Prix winner and former Red Bull Racing star David Coulthard hosted the ceremony with presenter Derin Adetosye, Team Principal and CEO Christian Horner, three-time World Champion Max Verstappen, six-time race winner and 2023 runner-up Sergio ‘Checo’ Perez and Red Bull Academy Programme drivers Emely de Heus and Hamda Al Qubaisi. The group came together to deliver a show which channelled the Team’s glorious history and set up a thrilling charge into the future for the double title-defending squad.