Red Bull explain radical new car concept with surprising revelation

Red Bull technical director Pierre Waché has said the difference between the RB21 and its predecessor is more drastic than the change the team's car undertook from the RB19 to last season.

It is a remarkable admission from the Frenchman, given how strikingly distinct the RB20 appeared to be from the car that won 21 of 22 grand prix in 2023.

Amid the Milton Keynes squad's struggles last term, the team acknowledged it had perhaps been too adventurous with the development of its design philosophy by pushing that approach to the extreme.

In doing so, it introduced unfavourable characteristics to the car. In particular, the balance between front and rear became out of kilter - and between conventional aerodynamics and ground effects - and the operating window became increasingly narrow, making finding the ideal set up a significant challenge.

Ahead of the campaign to come, the six-time constructors' champion has therefore changed path, in pursuit of a more benign and compliant package, something that has caught some people off-guard given how similar the new car looked to the RB20 when first unveiled.

"I think it's more different than what we saw between RB19 and RB20 in terms of characteristic," Waché told The Race.

"After the end of the season of the RB19, there was an evolution. The shape [of the RB20] was massively different, but it was the same concept type.

"Now, clearly, the way we extract the speed, the characteristic of the car, is quite different. To be competitive, you have to extract the potential of it at one point in terms of how you use it.

"What it [the changes for 2025] gives us is a little bit more option to rebalance it. It is taking more time to understand what is your best option, and I think that is the process we are in at the moment."

Remedying the 'peakiness' of the RB20

Upon closer inspection, the changes made for the RB21 were more considerable than first realised, particularly the repackaging done beneath the refined and honed bodywork.

That, in part, played a hand in creating some of the reliability concerns Red Bull experienced during pre-season testing at the Bahrain International Circuit, which curtailed the running of both Max Verstappen and Liam Lawson.

However, despite the car lacking the required outright pace at this stage of the season, it is responding in the way the team hoped, leaving the Christian Horner-led squad with a more pliable machine.

"We have some feedback that is as we expect, in terms of how the car reacts and in terms of balance. There are more flatter characteristics than the peakiness [from last year]," Wache explained.

"But I think we still have work to do on how to use the potential of it. It is difficult to rebalance the car currently, but we are exploring different solutions."