Sergio Perez of Mexico, driving for Red Bull Racing, showcased their RB20 car during the Practice Day of the Bahrain Grand Prix on February 29, 2024, as part of the Formula 1 World Championship. Mercedes Technical Director, James Allison, has expressed admiration for Red Bull’s innovative designs on their 2024 Formula 1 car. However, he refutes any comparisons to the team’s previous designs.
Since the reintroduction of ground effect cars in 2022, Red Bull has dominated the competition, utilizing the downwash sidepod solution to great effect. With only one race lost last season, Red Bull’s team principal, Christian Horner, emphasized the importance of evolving their car to maintain their advantage. Surprisingly, Red Bull unveiled the RB20 car with several radical revisions, which Horner described as a departure from a conservative evolution.
One of the most notable design elements of Red Bull’s car is the adoption of a vertical inlet on the sidepods, reminiscent of Mercedes’ abandoned ‘zeropod’ concept. Allison commends Red Bull for taking an aggressive approach with their latest car, acknowledging that the reigning champions could have chosen a more cautious path. He applauds their willingness to deviate from a straightforward iteration of the previous season.
Apart from the sidepod structure, Red Bull’s current car has drawn comparisons to Mercedes’ car from the previous season due to a deep gulley on the engine cover. However, when asked if Mercedes felt vindicated by Red Bull’s adoption of solutions previously conceived by them, Allison responded negatively. He believes that the external shape of the engine cover holds little significance compared to what lies beneath it.
Allison confirms that Mercedes has successfully addressed the unpredictable rear end traits that plagued their previous car, the W14. However, he acknowledges that both Lewis Hamilton and George Russell, as well as the Mercedes team as a whole, are currently in “chasing mode” as Red Bull sets the benchmark in Formula 1. Despite this, Allison denies that Red Bull’s dominant form should discourage other teams, emphasizing that the season is long and there are opportunities to remain competitive in the following years.