Red Bull admit to RB21 'downgrade'

Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache has confirmed the team has “lowered the potential” of the RB21 challenger this year.

The change has been made in a bid to avoid the issues that occurred during the 2024 season when Red Bull ran into problems with the car as the year progressed.

At a quick glance, the new Red Bull car greatly resembles the challenger it raced with last year.

However, Wache has outlined major work has been carried out to make significant changes to the car for the new season.

“What the car looks like on the outside is similar to last year,” Wache told motorsport.com. “So it's similar, but not identical. But other than that, the whole car has changed.

“We mainly focused on the characteristics of the car, with the aerodynamics and suspension, among other things, to give the drivers a better feeling. It should also eliminate the pain points from last year.

“The car is really different and we have to see if that pays off or not.”

Max Verstappen clinched his fourth F1 title last year despite the issues with the car, which saw him endure a 10-race streak off the top step of the podium from Austria to Mexico.

The Dutchman has been joined by Liam Lawson this year, who has made the step up despite having just 11 grand prix starts to his name.

Verstappen's former team-mate Sergio Perez particularly struggled to cope with the obstacles conjured by the RB20.

In a bid to make its new car kinder to its drivers, Wache has admitted the car's overall potential has taken a hit.

“The 2024 car had potential, but it was complex to use and also treacherous in difficult conditions.

“The car was very sharp and because of those characteristics, drivers could not use the car well in all conditions. 

“For this year, we may have lowered the potential a bit, but drivers should be able to use the car better. 

“If you have a driver like Max Verstappen, you can reduce the window and win races, but maybe we went too far in that. As a result, we changed our vision. Not completely, but a little bit.”