F1 News: Newey lifts the lid on 'EXTREME' Red Bull car changes

Adrian Newey

Newey lifts the lid on 'EXTREME' Red Bull car changes

The team's chief technology officer discusses the steps forward that were made in Japan

Originally written by Lauren Sneath. This version is a translation.

Tuesday 9 April 2024 02:00

Adrian Newey has said that when developing the RB19 into the evolved version of the car seen in the 2024, the 'architecture' of the car has stayed the same.

The Red Bull car led the team to astonishing success over the past few seasons, with the team winning every race but on in 2023.

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Much of the philosophy behind the car rests on the shoulders of Newey, the team's chief technology officer and engineering expert. But despite the team's impressive and mostly sustained performance, Newey is not sitting back and relaxing.

The car has undergone what team principal Christian Horner described as an 'aggressive evolution' during the off-season.

The RB19 led the team through a successful season

The RB20 has been described as an 'aggressive evolution' of its predecessor

The whole team have done a wonderful job. They haven't rested on their laurels. They have pushed hard and pushed the boundaries."

Now, Newey has confirmed what has changed in the dominant car, and what stayed the same. Speaking after another strong win at the Japanese Grand Prix, he said that the upgrades added to the car 'delivered what they said on the tin'.

The Red Bull drivers raced to a one-two victory in the Japanese Grand Prix

Max Verstappen won the Japanese Grand Prix

Discussing the field getting closer as other teams also improve their cars, Newey said: "So it was a small, small step forward. I think this weekend would have probably been okay anyway. But, you know, we all know this is going to tighten up so we just keep pushing."

He added: "I mean, it's a credit to all the guys back at the factory, obviously. Tremendous team of engineers. And then that spreads through to the whole organisation and their enthusiasm and drive and creativity is, as what you see here before you.

"Really, the sort of architecture of the car has stayed very similar — third generation since 2022. The kind of aero principles, which you now see on this year's car compared to last year's, it's a route that we were taking, really since early ’22. And it's just a more extreme version, down that same path."

Christian Horner Adrian Newey Bahrain Grand Prix