Sergio Perez has revealed that Red Bull’s 2024 Formula 1 car has improved in low-speed cornering – an area where it encountered some complications during last season.
Having won all but one of the 22 rounds en route to both titles in 2023, Red Bull had announced it was adopting a process of “evolution over revolution” with its latest car.
However, the Milton-Keynes-based squad launched the RB20 sporting some radical design elements, including a gulley on the engine cover seen on the Mercedes W14.
Perez has commended Red Bull’s approach to not resting on its laurels following the success of the previous campaign and producing some ambitious renovations.
“It just shows the hunger that we have,” Perez told selected media including Motorsport Week at the unveiling of Red Bull’s 2024 car. “We have such a dominant car last year that you wouldn’t expect us to change the concept that much, you know? I think it is really brave from Red Bull to do.”
Alongside the bulge on the engine cover, Red Bull has appeared to craft a vertical sidepod inlet comparable to the ‘zeropod’ solution Mercedes used and then later abandoned.
When it was put to him that there appeared to be inspiration from previous iterations of Mercedes cars embedded in the newest Red Bull, Perez replied: “Ah yes. A bit, yes.
“But at the same time it just shows how much this team is looking to move forward and pushing all the boundaries is really great to see.”
While Red Bull boss Christian Horner predicted it would discover “diminishing returns” under this ruleset, Perez believes the team has managed to extract more speed.
“I really feel like we have made some good steps on the simulator,” he disclosed.
“It is always very difficult to choose what grip levels we are going to have or what grip levels will work at, so that has been a bit difficult.”
Red Bull’s sole defeat during the previous campaign came in Singapore, when set-up troubles plagued both drivers and saw them fail to progress into the top 10 in qualifying.
Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey admitted it “exposed weaknesses” of the RB19, while Max Verstappen noted slow-speed performance as an area to address.
Speaking about the specific regions Red Bull has made advances in compared to last year, Perez suggested that his team-mate’s request appears to have been delivered.
“I think we’ve taken some good steps forward and I think it’ll be interesting to see what we are able to do for the coming weeks, I think it’s really important that we have a good base and are able to develop it through the season,” he explained.
Pressed to describe any particular differences between the RB20 and its predecessor, Perez added: “I think it’s hard to say, but potentially our low speed seems to be looking in a better window but obviously until we hit the track we will not know.”
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