F1 News

Everyone comes to see the RB18: See Verstappen's new car here

23 February 2022 at 09:27
Last update 23 February 2022 at 09:38
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  • GPblog.com

Red Bull Racing drew a lot of attention during the morning session in Barcelona. The RB18 has special sidepods, but the whole car makes a big impression. Check out images of Max Verstappen's new car from all angles here.

Red Bull attracts many spectators

There is a lot of interest in the RB18 at the Circuit de Catalunya. Nobody saw the real RB18 until now because Red Bull kept it skilfully behind the scenes. They even did a secret shakedown at the Silverstone circuit without taking a proper photo of the car. In Barcelona, however, there is no escape from that.

Apart from the fact that the car has never really been shown, the first glimpse of Adrian Newey's creation immediately puts everyone on alert. Lewis Hamilton was already in front of Max Verstappen's pitbox on Wednesday morning and McLaren's James Key came to take a look at Red Bull, but what is it that catches the eye?

RB18 has the most impressive side pod and diffuser

The first thing everyone noticed was the Red Bull car's side pod. It has an undercut that we have not seen on any other team. Mercedes' W13 had a big undercut, but Newey and his team have really outdone the competition on that front. With so much less bodywork, the car also has less drag.

This year the emphasis is on the bottom of the car and the diffuser is very important. The diffuser at the rear of the car allows downforce to be created at the bottom of the car. This is another area where Red Bull impresses with a very large diffuser and another big 'rake' by the looks of it.

At the front of the RB18, it is now clear that Red Bull has opted for a pullrod suspension this year, as opposed to the pushrod used in recent years and still seen by the competition. Furthermore, Red Bull's nose is quite narrow, but not narrower than we have seen with Mercedes. The front wing is not noticeable either.