Sergio Perez was quick to pay credit to Red Bull as the RB20 was revealed to the world on Thursday, with just a week to go until pre-season testing begins in Bahrain.
The 2023 season was a watershed moment in the team’s history as the famed RB19 won 21 of the 22 races contested, and five of the six Sprints. Red Bull would go on to finish with more than double the points of second-placed Mercedes in the constructors’ as they swept all before them.
With the rules and regulations remaining largely constant, it is somewhat of a surprise just how far Red Bull have deviated from that RB19 with its successor – and Perez was keen to explain just why the team have done so.
“I think it just shows the hunger in this team, we had such a dominant car last year you wouldn’t imagine us changing the concept so much. I think it’s really brave from Red Bull to do that,” he said at the launch of the 2024 challenger.
“It shows how much this team is ready to move forward, pushing the boundaries, it is great to see. I think we’ve taken some good steps forward, and it will be interesting to see what we are able to do for the coming weeks. I think it’s really important that we have a good base and we are able to develop it throughout the season with the team.”
Perez highlighted one area in particular that the team have sought to improve, stating that “our lower speed looks to be in a better window,” but was quick to add that Red Bull will only know for sure if that weakness has been addressed after pre-season testing when the numbers start to be crunched.
As for what he’s made of the other car reveals, the Mexican joked that drivers “have no idea” what they are really looking at, but that the Red Bull engineers will be keeping a close eye on their competitors in case they can pick up any new ideas.
The widely held consensus is that the field will converge this year, with the teams having had two years to get used to the sweeping new regulations that were launched in 2022. But given Red Bull are continuing to innovate, no one would be surprised if they started the season with their noses in front.
