Red Bull on all conquering RB20

The Red Bull RB20 is the one car to beat at this weekend’s Australian Grand Prix where Max Verstappen hopes to go back to back.

On his way to a record breaking 2023 championship success, Verstappen ended Red Bull’s Albert Park drought that stretched back to 2011.

He did it with the RB19 that scored the most wins ever in a single season and joined the iconic 1988 McLaren MP4/4 to win every Grand Prix bar one.

The flying Dutchman returns in 2024 with a radically different looking RB20 that has already looked just as ominous as its predecessor.

Verstappen and teammate Sergio Perez have cruised to 1-2 finishes in both the season opening Bahrain and Saudi Arabian Grands Prix.

No one has been able to beat them so far and the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes and McLaren seemingly need a miracle to end Verstappen’s streak of nine straight Grand Prix wins.

The RB20 itself has been turning heads ever since it was revealed, showcasing a major aggressive overhaul in aerodynamic philosophy that gives the car a similar look to Mercedes’ 2023 car.

Whilst much of the focus is on the significantly re-profiled side pods, Red Bull chief designer Adrian Newey said it is the more “subtle” elements that make the RB20 so fast.

“The underlying architecture of the car is the third-generation evolution of what started as the RB18,” Newey explained on the F1 NATION podcast.

“Apart from the radiators, we carry everything: layout of the front suspension, the rear suspension, the gearbox, the casing, so it’s a third evolution of the RB18.

“The bits that are visible, that have caused quite a lot of attention, obviously we’re pursuing aerodynamic gains there. 

“The visual change is actually much larger than the performance change you get from that (but) the other, much more subtle bits that people haven’t noticed are probably responsible for a bigger gain.”

Red Bull chief engineer Paul Monaghan described to AUTOSPORT the RB20 is the team’s “last big roll of the dice”.

“If we choose to make some bigger changes on the car it opens up more options for us,” he said. 

“That’s part of our reason to say ‘let’s go ahead and change it more fully’.

“It’s probably the last big roll of the dice because in 2025 you have to be looking at the 2026 car.”

The RB20 will be on track in Melbourne this Friday.

Photo by Rudy Carezzevoli/Getty Images/Red Bull Content Pool

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