Initial impressions of the RB20 indicate that, despite discussions of teams coming closer in performance, Red Bull is fully prepared to fiercely defend its championship titles.
In an era where drivers are emphasizing that a mere one or two victories won’t suffice and proclaiming Red Bull’s vulnerability, rivals are attempting to replicate the successful aspects of the RB20’s forerunners.
Despite this, Adrian Newey has escalated the challenge by advancing the design slightly more, even within the tight confines of the largely unaltered regulations.
Triple world champion Max Verstappen was ecstatic while offering his thoughts on Newey’s new design, Verstappen speaking to the media stated: “I’m quite happy with the direction that they chose, I saw the drawings I think in Abu Dhabi, the last race, and I was like, ‘wow, that’s quite different in a way’.
“They’ve not been conservative,” he grinned, “let’s say 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, I would say and try to make it better,” he continued.
“Of course, time will tell if it’s really, really good. But 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.”
Following a season where the RB19 set a record as the most triumphant Formula 1 car in the sport’s history by clinching victory in all but one race, there’s a sentiment that the Austrian outfit might have favored a more evolutionary strategy over the bold direction evidently chosen for their latest challenger.
“There are no signs that we got it wrong,” insisted Verstappen. “I think it’s controlled aggressiveness… everyone is happy. It doesn’t seem like it’s a question mark of what they’ve done, like, they’re not entirely sure.”
Max Verstappen when asked about his initial reactions to driving the car at Silverstone earlier in the week, he responded: “Slippery! It was wet and cold. But everything was fine.”
“It’s literally just a filming day, the car started up well, it’s about just making sure that once they’ve put the car together that everything is running, because basically from there, the car basically gets sent to Bahrain.
“That’s where it really starts,” he continued, “you really start to learn more about the car, you put the proper programme together, and you do a lot of different kinds of running.”
Speaking to media Verstappen further responded to claims of rifts between members of the team and explained: “It’s the same as always, I can tell you that. I don’t know who likes to write these things but to me, Christian is like always.”
Asked if Horner’s investigation was proving to be a distraction, the 26-year-old replied: “From my side I am very focused on my own performance to get ready, to be fit, to be ready to drive the car, to be discussing things with the engineers, what you want to do.
“Plus, my life is not only Formula 1. When I’m at home I prefer not to think about F1 too much outside of my scheduled training.
“There are a lot of things going on in the background for me also, what I want to do in the future from the virtual side of things that I’m working on. So I’m busy enough at home.”
