Red Bull Team Principal Christian Horner has revealed that the RB18 will look different to the version that was launched on Wednesday when the 2022 season gets underway next month.
F1 is operating under a new set of technical regulations this year, which aim to allow for closer racing on the track.
With the new rules in play, teams are likely to only show their real car ahead of the pre-season shakedown in Bahrain to avoid revealing their interpretation of the regulations to rival outfits.
However, development will be continuous throughout the campaign as teams gather more on-track data.
With Wednesday’s RB18 display effectively being a show car, Horner confirmed that its appearance will change in the coming weeks.
“With the new regulation changes this year, the whole philosophy has altered, which means every single component is different to last year’s car,” Horner said.
“It’s a clean sheet of paper for every single team. By the time we get to the first race, the RB18 won’t look much like it looks today, the evolution will be very quick as we progress through the season.
“It is a steep learning curve for everyone and it is a contest in development between the first and the last race.”
Having won the Drivers’ title with Max Verstappen last year, Horner added that Red Bull’s natural goal for 2022 is to successfully defend the championship.
“We believe we have a good car for 2022, the RB18 is coming to life and seeing it today is fantastic. It has been a huge effort from the team and I am looking forward to seeing it out on the track now.
“We plan to build on 2021, we have number one on the car this year and now the challenge is it keep it and defend that title with Max.
“The excitement and hard work of 2021 really galvanised the Team and it means we go into 2022 in great shape for the season ahead.”
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