Red Bull expect RB19 lookalikes on the 2024 F1 grid
Red Bull expects the RB19 to be similar on the F1 grid from 2024.
Will RB19 be copied online for the 2024 F1 season?
Will RB19 be copied online for the 2024 F1 season? Photo: Russell Batchelor/XPB
With the RB19, Red Bull achieved the most successful car in F1 history, winning 21 out of 22 Grands Prix. Horner even admitted on the radio that he was “excited” after triple champion Max Verstappen’s last lap in the car. The season-ending Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
Horner is confident there won’t be a repeat of this year next season due to “diminishing returns” in developing under current aerodynamic ground impact regulations. The 50-year-old expects several of his team’s rivals to take part in next season’s opening race in Bahrain in early March, which will bear striking similarities to the RB19.
“It’s been a very special moment for the team and we hope to continue this momentum next year,” Horner told media outlets including Speedcafe. “But I think we’re at the top of the curve sooner than anywhere else, so I expect permanent restrictions will lead to a drop in revenue.
“The scene is getting closer and closer and it’s hard to know who it will be. Will it be McLaren? Could it be a Ferrari? Will it be a Mercedes? They move behind us. “But that’s what we expect to happen next year.”
Red Bull’s dominance has allowed the team to develop next year’s car earlier than most teams, and it has a top driver in Verstappen.
On why Red Bull cannot continue this form until 2024, Horner said: “There is always a recovery next year. “I’m sure we’ll see more cars like the RB19 (and its philosophy) next year. They certainly will. “When this business stagnates, there is a tendency to retreat. I think we got to that curve faster than other companies, but like I said, we’re in the law of diminishing returns.”
Horner said he had already seen this happen, mainly after winning the Constructors’ Championship and the delay allowed on the grid, not helped by the extent of the wind tunnel and CFD fees.
Red Bull was also penalized for going over its 2021 budget, leading to further streamlining of the wind tunnel and use of CFD, which lasted 12 months and ended in October. “Obviously we were short on wind tunnel time, so even though we made the change early, we had less time to actually train than a lot of our competitors,” Horner said.
“So we had to be very economical and selective in using that time for the RB20, building on the strengths of the 19.”
Horner confirmed that the RB20 will be “an evolution, not a revolution”. “Every aspect of the car has been reimagined and we can’t afford to be complacent, so the car is an evolution of a theme,” Horner said. “We are not reinventing the wheel. “That’s basically been the direction of technology development in the last 12 months.”
