Max Verstappen, the winner of the race, drove the Red Bull Racing RB20 in parc ferme on April 21, 2024. This occurred during the Chinese Grand Prix, which is part of the Formula 1 World Championship and took place in Shanghai, China.
Despite restrictions on Honda’s involvement due to the engine freeze, the manufacturer has played a crucial role in maintaining Red Bull’s dominance in Formula 1. Since the introduction of ground-effect cars in 2022, Red Bull has been unrivaled, winning almost every race last season and easily securing both championships.
Red Bull’s strong position allowed them to limit development on the RB19 last summer and focus on its successor. As a result, the RB20 was launched with numerous innovations that have contributed to the team’s success in winning four out of the first five races this season.
Even though Red Bull had communicated the necessary changes, Honda Racing Corporation President Koji Watanabe expressed astonishment at the extent of modifications made for the RB20. Despite winning 21 out of 22 races together last year, Red Bull still decided to change the concept, which Watanabe finds unbelievable. The team made significant requests to adapt Honda’s engine to the new RB20 concept, leaving Honda surprised when they saw the actual car.
Honda’s announcement of its departure from F1 at the end of 2021 led to the introduction of power unit homologation by the FIA, aimed at reducing costs. However, existing suppliers can still work on improving reliability. Watanabe explained that although they cannot increase power due to the engine freeze, they can adapt the engine to the new car. Over the winter, Honda focused on enhancing engine reliability, which has given Red Bull more freedom in their design and aerodynamic concept. This allowed them to make changes to the position of oil coolers, radiators, and other components. The goal was to minimize the risk of damaging the power unit, even though it didn’t cause major issues last year. Honda made significant efforts to further improve engine reliability for this season.