Renowned Formula 1 engineer Adrian Newey has acknowledged that the absence of regulatory changes post the 2022 season allayed concerns about Red Bull’s RB19 being considered an evolution car.
After the thrilling conclusion to the 2021 season, the sport underwent perhaps its most significant technical revamp in history.
The fresh regulations signaled the conclusion of the turbo-hybrid era and ushered in a new era of cars. Red Bull capitalized on these changes, delivering a car that comfortably secured Max Verstappen his second world title.
However, as the 2023 season approached, minimal rule changes were implemented, raising concerns within the team about the potential decline in performance with the RB19.
Contrary to expectations, this turned out not to be the scenario, as the Dutch driver demonstrated even greater dominance than the previous year. He effortlessly secured the title with 19 wins out of a possible 22 races.
Adrian Newey’s concerns about Red Bull’s performance
In a conversation with Top Gear, Newey confessed that their supremacy eliminated any concerns they had regarding the RB19 being considered an evolutionary car.
When questioned about whether it astonished him that they could produce a car with such dominance, he responded, “It certainly does. It’s quite unexpected.
In the 2022 season, we experienced the most significant chassis regulation change since 1983, particularly in reverting to venturi cars.
We anticipated that as we entered the second year, with minimal regulatory adjustments during the winter and essentially running an evolved car, our advantage would decrease, if not disappear. Clearly, that’s not how events unfolded.