484 replies to this topic

[JL14]

We joked about it but it's actually happening, can't believe it.

 

Pierre Waché on if it’s ironic for Red Bull to take Mercedes’ car idea:

 

In a way I guess Mike Elliott will get some vindication. Couldn't make it work but he was right in going for it. Can't wait to see the update whenever it comes.

 

Affer race 7.

 

On the F1Nation podcast Will Buxton mentioned that he told Newey their car looked great and Newey simply said "Wait till after race 7, it will look completely different.".

[Ellios]

Not sure where to post this but it's pretty cool drone footage:

 

[Okyo]

Not sure where to post this but it's pretty cool drone footage:

 

Awesome. Can see this kind of tech being used in the future during F1 races. 

Edited by Okyo, 27 February 2024 - 15:09.

[Jerem]

Awesome. Can see this kind of tech being used in the future during F1 races. 

Yes, I saw it used during a WRX event and it was great, for F1 the challenge is much more difficult but I think the technology is almost there.

[Yoshi]

These drone footages.. amazing
Thx for sharing.

Edited by Yoshi, 27 February 2024 - 16:53.

[Garagista]

Not sure where to post this but it's pretty cool drone footage:

 

 

Amazing how you can see all the small drifts accelerating and braking, as the 4 wheels slipping. 

 

It only increases my amazement for the talent of these drivers, and of course particularly Max's Talent!!

[renzmann]

Affer race 7.

 

On the F1Nation podcast Will Buxton mentioned that he told Newey their car looked great and Newey simply said "Wait till after race 7, it will look completely different.".

Better still, it was Tom Clarkson, so I guess we can really hope for something special

[pRy]

Amazing how you can see all the small drifts accelerating and braking, as the 4 wheels slipping. 
 
It only increases my amazement for the talent of these drivers, and of course particularly Max's Talent!!

 
Some great lap footage in that. I wonder if we'd ever see these things used during GP weekends but I suppose the risk of them dropping onto the track will be considered too dangerous.

[BoDarvelle]

 
Some great lap footage in that. I wonder if we'd ever see these things used during GP weekends but I suppose the risk of them dropping onto the track will be considered too dangerous.

 

I'd guess a 350kph drone going into the crowd would be a bigger concern.

[pRy]

Yes very true!

[Clatter]

Not sure where to post this but it's pretty cool drone footage:

Good find. That's one incredible drone.

[Taxi]

Isn't this thread a bit too quiet having in consideration we didn't lead any FP and the car looks like it is not dominat at all? 

[SenorSjon]

Isn't this thread a bit too quiet having in consideration we didn't lead any FP and the car looks like it is not dominat at all? 

 

We are still mentally on a fri-sat-sun schedule.

[Kao18]

Isn't this thread a bit too quiet having in consideration we didn't lead any FP and the car looks like it is not dominat at all? 

 

 

Too early to tell but it doesnt look dominant at all so far. Not even on race pace which now seems to be the narrative according to the "pundits" at least.

 

 But I dont mind really, I would love to see a bit more competition at the front. The whole pack looks extremely tight based on the laptimes in FP3.

[jacdaniel]

As soon as I saw Red Bull making big changes to their car I was worried. When you have a dominant car you don’t normally to take big risks.

Let’s hope they can get it dialled in

[AlexPrime]

So happy with P1. After all the hate in the recent days and the woeful Friday, a reason to smile.

[Yoshi]

Good relief with P1 after the last couple of days. 

[jonklug]

Seems to be kind of a continuation of last year. Everyone is close in quali pace, RedBull a bit better in race pace especially in the hands of Max. Wonder if the rumored big upgrades around Race 7 will be as massive as some anticipate. 

[AlexPrime]

Seems to be kind of a continuation of last year. Everyone is close in quali pace, RedBull a bit better in race pace especially in the hands of Max. Wonder if the rumored big upgrades around Race 7 will be as massive as some anticipate. 

I hope RBR starts extracting more and more from the concept as the season progresses.

[ARTGP]

Seems to be kind of a continuation of last year. Everyone is close in quali pace, RedBull a bit better in race pace especially in the hands of Max. Wonder if the rumored big upgrades around Race 7 will be as massive as some anticipate. 

 

It should be 2 updates. One is scheduled for Japan and the other around race 7 (so ~Imola?).  Newey claimed the car would look completely different by then. 

Edited by ARTGP, 01 March 2024 - 21:39.

[Frankbullitt]

I really thought they would only show their hand on race day, seems the car is handy (so far) over one lap as well in Max's hands.

 

I can only see it getting faster now as well.

[renzmann]

As soon as I saw Red Bull making big changes to their car I was worried. When you have a dominant car you don’t normally to take big risks.

Let’s hope they can get it dialled in

The quali result was more than we could hope for, right? I would have been satisfied with P3 to P5, and a distance up to 2 tenths, as it would have been normal for RBR to have problems with the different concept at first. I had faith in the team to eventually build a very fast car, but maybe not from day one. On a similar note, I guess it's really telling the car looks very different already. All the changes and innovations probably were developments they thought they could handle from the very start, while for additional changes they needed good data with what they had first. I'm expecting a very different car soon!

 

Things will only get better now, I guess. All the other teams are stuck in an arguably slower concept now, or at least in a concept with less developmental potential. Amazing!

[Yoshi]

According to #AMuS there are rumours in the paddock that RBR is bringing a major upgrade to Imola

Marko grinned when asked about the rumour : "Let's see"

Bring it on

[Reinmuster]

It should be 2 updates. One is scheduled for Japan and the other around race 7 (so ~Imola?).  Newey claimed the car would look completely different by then. 

 

Looks like they wants to seal the championships A.S.A.P so they could concentrate next year's car! 

[jonklug]

It does sound like the bloodbath could be even bigger than last year. RedBull have seriously raised the bar in this current regulation, may it continue all throughout. 

[AlexPrime]

Looks like they wants to seal the championships A.S.A.P so they could concentrate next year's car! 

and then do it again, so they can focus on the new rules 

[crgboy007]

Few recent quotes from Waché and Newey about the regulation changes from mid 2022 season and 2023 season:

 

 

"Max is very fast on the Spa-Francorchamps circuit," Wache replied when asked about the famous 2022 Belgian Grand Prix. "In addition, the RB18 also suited the track perfectly. Those two aspects made the difference in Belgium. The fact that there were still a lot of bouncing cars also played a role, because that's where the problem can arise with the current generation of cars. We actually gained an advantage over the competition because the rules were tightened. Therefore, you can speak of a turning point during that weekend. Indeed, Ferrari had the fastest car in the field at the beginning of 2022."

 

Red Bull chief sees 'insane' Verstappen making key difference | RacingNews365
 

 

“By the middle of 2022, most people were more or less on top of [bouncing]. We then obviously had the small regulation change of raising the floor by 15 millimetres and that actually did change things again. It arguably suited us more than others, which was surprising because some of the teams that were lobbying hard for it were the teams that actually suffered more from it.”

Newey denies rumour about new Red Bull | RacingNews365

 

 

[TheAviator]

Not so subtle shots at Merc me thinks.

[Goron3]

I really hope for 2026 that they un-do those changes and re-introduce suspension elements to make the ride quality better.

[AlexPrime]

Few recent quotes from Waché and Newey about the regulation changes from mid 2022 season and 2023 season:

 

 

Red Bull chief sees 'insane' Verstappen making key difference | RacingNews365
 

 

Newey denies rumour about new Red Bull | RacingNews365

 

 

I'm not sure I agree with Adrian... Merc lobbied for it and hoped to hit RBR. They hit Ferrari instead.

[SenorSjon]

I'm not sure I agree with Adrian... Merc lobbied for it and hoped to hit RBR. They hit Ferrari instead.

 

Not to mention blasting their own foot off.

[crgboy007]

I've only now been able to read Waché's interview for L'Équipe at the start of the season so I'm gonna share it with you guys since his quotes to L'Équipe are not usually picked up by the media. Interesting read as always.

 

The technical director of Red Bull, father of the unbeatable RB19, explains his working philosophy made of permanent errors but also of perpetual research which led to this very innovative RB20.

It was still cool and mild last Friday when we caught up with Pierre Waché, an hour before the final day of private testing. The man who has presided over the technical destiny of Red Bull since 2018 – and not Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey, as many continue to write – was smiling, relaxed. And even confident, which is hardly common in a man always subject to doubt. That day, even before his car returned to the track for final tests, he spoke at length, between a coffee and a few puffs of his electronic cigarette, about his passions and his work. We were eager to know why he and his men had decided to scrap the very effective design of last year's single-seater, author of a breathtaking small slam (21 victories out of 22 possible) but also to learn a little more about the driver who makes his creations shine, the three-time world champion, Max Verstappen. And we were not disappointed.

This year, you're the only ones to present an innovative car. How did this idea come about?

 

It didn't come from coming out of the bathroom with a book falling on our heads (big laugh). It's always about performance. That's what guides us. With last year's concept, we saw our limits. For us, there wasn't much left to gain. So we looked for where there were things to gain.

 

Didn't this come from looking at the design of the Mercedes cars that didn't have sidepods in 2022 and the first part of the 2023 season?

 

No, it had nothing to do with that at all. We looked for the best solution to be the fastest again.

When you've got a car as dominant as last year's, why change? You were so far ahead of the competition, even if you did nothing…

 

Because there was a big risk that the others, with a different vision and understanding of what we'd done, would come up with better results than us, while on our side, we felt that the development ceiling wasn't far off. We must never forget that others are good; they're also clever. So, to keep moving forward, we mustn't tell ourselves that we're ahead. To stagnate is to go backwards. So you have to keep moving forward. We have to strive for performance. Afterwards, we also said to ourselves that there are only two years left with these regulations. There's a big change in 2026. The only year when it's possible to take big risks is 2024. Because 2025 will just be a continuation of 2024 for everyone. It has to be.

 

This innovative idea for the RB20 wasn't born one morning when you arrived at the office?

 

You need to know that it's not me who decides what exactly the concept is. That's not how it works. What I decide is how much freedom I give the system to change. And then we discuss all the solutions.

 

But who decided to close the entrances to the sidepods? Did an engineer come to present the idea to you?

 

We don't think like that. There are figures we rely on. If the guys come and tell me that with this principle we gain ten aero points, I would be stupid not to go for this idea…

 

But there is a risk. When you decide to go in this direction, do you talk to the boss about it?

 

No, I do this alone.

 

And you're not afraid of making a mistake?

 

Not immediately. It’s when you start to think more that you come face to face with the risks. Afterwards, you have to stay calm. All we do is make mistakes. If we're not mistaken, we don't have a car. The right solution never appears straight away. It's discovered bit by bit.

 

When were you finally relieved that this solution on your car worked?

 

As soon as we did the shakedown at Silverstone.

 

Despite the rain and the cold, were you able to see that the cooling was working?

 

Yes.

 

Do you have sleepless nights?

 

That’s all I have (he smiles).

 

Here, with an innovative, promising and reliable car, you must be pleased with your work?

 

The team's work, of course. I'm delighted that the car is running smoothly. As for performance, I always prefer to wait and see. But I think there's still a lot of room for improvement on this single-seater. There are lots of little mistakes, things that you can't see but that aren't quite right. On the inside, there are a lot of bugs/glitches that we're going to have to sort out. But all in all, we can get the car running in conditions that aren't necessarily the easiest, and that's pretty satisfying.

 

When you start out with a new idea like the RB20, what's the hardest thing to manage?

 

What we want is to make a fast car. But it has to be designed for the driver. This car has to go fast because the driver can use it. And that's the biggest challenge!

 

Without downplaying the work of Red Bull's engineers, isn't your success also down to Verstappen's driving skills, as he's probably the most capable of handling these ground-effect cars? Doesn't he have a know-how that perhaps others don't have?

 

It could be. I'm not going to lie to you, it helps a lot to have a very talented driver. But, for us, what helps the most is that Max is able to give us a precise feeling and extract the best from it. I don't think many drivers are as good at knowing what they want. Max, on the other hand, drives and knows what he needs to go faster. When you give him what he asks for, he actually goes faster. Not every driver can do that… He's clear, he doesn't get bogged down in technical details. He's precise enough to go for that limit.

 

Even with the RB19, he was on the limit?

 

Obviously, that's how fast you go with a car. And Max knows exactly what he needs to get there…

 

And what does Verstappen insist on?

 

I'm not going to tell you because that would give away our car (smile), but it's pretty clear in general.

 

When you presented the project to him last winter, what did he say?

 

He was happy to see a change. When I showed it to him in Abu Dhabi, he liked the fact that we were taking risks. He really appreciates this state of mind.

 

At which Grand Prix will you be champion this season?

 

(He laughs.) The most important thing is the second part of the sentence. I'd love to be champion this year (smiles). If you look at the competition, they've all done some semblance of RB19. Anyway, there are inspirations in all of them. (He interrupts.) That's normal, it worked.

 

Which one will be your main opponent?

 

It's hard to say. I like the Aston because it's more or less the same philosophy we had, so I have a better grasp of it. The Ferrari, I find it hard to understand all the aero on it, but on the other hand it seems to be the fastest.

 

Would you be interested in Ferrari, now that you've mastered everything with Red Bull? Especially with Fred Vasseur and Loïc Serra, whom you know very well. In the years to come?

 

I don't know, but I don't think I've finished my work with Red Bull. There's a big challenge coming up in 2026. I want to show people who say we were lucky in 2022 with our concept that they're wrong. From now on, my biggest challenge isn't to atomize the others this year, it's to make a winning car in 2026.

 

As for the boat, we know you're passionate about it. The America's Cup, any interest?

 

Not to take part (he smiles).

 

But working on the boat?

 

You can't do things by halves. I couldn't do both. And besides, I don't have any experience in this field. I'm not sure I'd bring anything to the table. In any case, if I have the opportunity after my F1 career to do a bit of that, I'd be delighted.

 

Translated via Google Translator and DeepL

L'Équipe edition 2024-02-29

[vlado]

Great interview! Thank you for sharing

[Yoshi]

https://twitter.com/...351673194582266

 

It looks like that with the upgrades from Japan they did extend their setup map to be now also fast in low speed corners.

With Monaco coming up at the end of May - lets see how it goes there.

Edited by Yoshi, 23 April 2024 - 06:19.

[Frankbullitt]

This team have really created a monster with this car.