Formula 1 News: Red Bull and Verstappen to dominate 2024
Adrian Newey and his Red Bull design team are so confident that the 2024 RB20 will beat all the competition that they are now designing the 2025 RB21.
–by Mark Cipolloni–
Red Bull’s Head of Performance Engineering, Ben Waterhouse said in a Racecar Engineering interview, “The RB20 is a car that is at least six months old, and we are already starting to move our attention to the RB21.”
“So we set clear goals quite far back in the RB19 development process for the RB20,” explains Waterhouse . “Overall, we managed to hit most of them . However, I wouldn’t say that everyone is satisfied, since there is still some work to do to try to improve compared to the RB19″.
Strengthened by its performance and ranking advantage, Red Bull stopped development of the RB19 early in 2023, diverting all resources to the 2024 car. Waterhouse explains: “The RB20 is a car that is at least six months old and we are already starting to move our attention on the RB21 , even if the season has not yet started.”
Eddie Jordan says Max Verstappen will dominate 2024
Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan told David Coulthard on the Formula For Success podcast there is “no chance” the likes of Mercedes and Ferrari jump to Red Bull’s level, tipping them to crush the competition again in 2024.
“They should finish first and second next year and walk away with the Constructors’,” Jordan predicted of Red Bull on the Formula For Success podcast.
“Max, can he win 20 grands prix, can he improve on where he was this year? My view is no, because when you don’t have big rule changes, and this coming year there’s no big rule change, the cars concertina.”
“So surely, they should be closer, or maybe even able to beat where Red Bull are,” said Coulthard.
Jordan offered a clear “no chance” in response to that, revealing that his cycling pal Adrian Newey has a real spring in his step, a clear sign that he is very confident over Red Bull’s situation.
“No. No chance, simple,” said Jordan in response to Coulthard.
“When you’re building a car and you have somebody of the likes of Adrian Newey and his team, which full marks to them, phenomenal to achieve this kind of landmark, because this probably may never be beat, we may look back in 20, 30 years time and you’ll say, ‘You know that 2023, that was just off the charts brilliant for what was achieved’.
“So that’s how great I think this season has been for Max Verstappen and for Red Bull.
“So for the last half of the year, and please remember that my cycling mate is none other than Adrian Newey, and he told me he was just staying behind, he didn’t do the race in Abu Dhabi, because he had the last little pieces to put together of the puzzle for next year’s Red Bull car.
“And you know what Adrian is like, he doesn’t give too much away, but you know, by the walk of him and the talk of him, that he’s pretty cool and pretty happy about where he is.
“Now, you balance that against somebody at Mercedes or Ferrari or Aston Martin for that matter, it doesn’t matter who they’ve taken on, it takes a while to get the team all gelled together to achieve or even come close to where Red Bull are.
“Now, I’m sure some teams will come close in terms of time, but Red Bull are going to move further on, so my view is that the last half of the season, where everyone else was trying to do things against each other and the big battle that they had at Mercedes and indeed Ferrari, that was time for Red Bull at home, honing in their talents for next year’s car.
“So they have had, in my opinion, five or six months lead time on that car for next year. I don’t see anyone coming close to them.”