Adrian Newey says Red Bull’s 2012 car, of which he is the lead designer, will not be a totally new car, but an evolution of this years dominant challenger.
Red Bull have based its cars on their predecessors since the RB5 in 2009, a move which has paid off, whilst their rivals have gone down the path of completely redesigning almost every part – something Stefano Domenicali confirmed would be the case at Ferrari this winter.
“We will change everything; even the steering wheel,” said the Ferrari team principal.
Newey though, quick to point out that the regulations will only see some minor tweaks, other than the exhaust exits being strictly regulated, means its better to use the RB7 as a base for the RB8.
“I think that fundamentally there’s no point in doing something new if it’s not better, so our approach is certainly not complacency, so we’re not thinking: ‘we don’t have to do anything, we’ll still be quick enough next year.’ That would be enormous folly,” said the Brit.
“We’re working away trying to deal with the regulation changes. I think the restriction on the exhaust exit position is actually a very big change; it goes through the car. Other than that, the regulation changes are significant but not huge.
“So, in that sense, the car will be an evolution, it will bear a family resemblance to the RB5, RB6, RB7 lineage. It’s just a matter of pushing on, as always.”
Newey did however warn that the RB8 might not enjoy such a dominant start to the year as he expects greater competition.
“The fact is that you don’t know how much performance your competitors are going to find over the winter, so it’s get your heads down and get on with it, and you find out where you are come the first race,” he concluded.
