Red Bull's further development appears to be a good move: 'We've tested it twice'

F1 News

17 June 2021 at 10:28
Last update 17 June 2021 at 12:44
  • GPblog.com

Red Bull Racing will finally have a car to compete with Mercedes in 2021, and according to Christian Horner, it owes that to the way it worked in 2020. According to Horner, the team made a significant impact there.

Red Bull finally wakes up

During a Formula 1 season, teams often make the switch to the car for the following year. Many of Red Bull's competitors did the same in 2020, but with cars in 2021 largely similar to those of 2020, Red Bull opted to keep developing. In hindsight, that turns out to be a good move.

''It helped us to understand the car better and prepare ourselves for the upcoming rule changes. For the first time in a long time we had a competitive car at the start of testing, and that has carried over to the other circuits. Normally we only wake up after a quarter of the season,'' Horner said to Auto, Motor und Sport.

New floor for RB16B

In that respect, Horner is also critical of his team that often went wrong in the past. ''The gap to the top was already so big and we must also not forget Honda. They have done a great job, with the 2022 engine already in the car, because they wanted to show everything.''

Red Bull even already tested the 2021 floor during the 2020 Formula One season, the team boss now reveals. ''We tested it twice. In Portimao and Abu Dhabi. However, we were not the only ones. It was important for us to really test the effect of this new floor on the track,'' concludes the Briton.