Red Bull's Helmut Marko says that the team have faced "two or three big hurdles" in their preparations for the 2022 season. The Milton Keynes-based squad were amongst the first to launch their new car last week, though they seemed to be keeping their cards close to their chest, with the RB18 sporting few differences to that of the show car produced by F1 last year . Given the wave of new technical regulations being introduced into the sport for the upcoming campaign, Marko admits that it has been challenging for the outfit to prepare. This was in part due to the intensity of Max Verstappen's title battle with Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes during 2021, according to the advisor. "We faced two or three big hurdles [in preparing for 2022]," Marko told Austrian newspaper Kleine Zeitung . "It was the biggest change in regulations in the last 15 or 20 years. All the new designs and planning had to be done within the budget cap, and then we were fighting for a World Championship and had to move the new car forward at the same time."
"We don't reveal anything at the launch"
On the topic of the team's car launch, Marko admits that there are still plenty of changes to come with the RB18 before the season kicks off in Bahrain on 18-20 March. "That was a presentation for the time being," Marko said. "It's especially important for our partners. The first roll-out will take place later. And until the first race in Bahrain, there will be some changes. "We don't reveal everything at the presentation, there are still some updates to come." Red Bull's technical team, including Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey, have spoken of the "very unusual" process of creating the new car given the overhauled technical regulations. That hasn't stopped the squad from feeling optimistic, though, with Team Principal Christian Horner stating that Red Bull's motivation is "sky high" going into the 2022 F1 season as Verstappen looks to defend his title.
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