P1racenews AI automatic summary:
Red Bull unsure if it can make Mercedes-style F1 sidepods work
The Milton Keynes-based squad has made significant changes to its car for this year, taking inspiration from Mercedes’ past concepts, including high gulleys along the engine cover and minimalist sidepods with a vertical inlet resembling Mercedes’ zeropod version. Red Bull plans to introduce an even more extreme sidepod solution for cooler races early in the season to enhance airflow to its radiators. Despite the intrigue surrounding Red Bull’s approach, motorsport advisor Helmut Marko is cautious, noting that Mercedes struggled to translate wind tunnel performance into real-world success with their zeropod solution. The upcoming test in Bahrain will be crucial for Red Bull to determine the viability of their own design in practice. Marko mentioned that while Red Bull’s solution is not as extreme as Mercedes’, it follows a similar concept direction, with Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey favoring radiator-less car designs, even though it poses challenges for the engine team. The RB20 launch car represents a significant step forward from last year’s dominant RB19, with Marko describing it as more of a revolution than an evolution, serving as the foundation for the team’s future cars up to 2024.
