Red Bull chooses old approach and only finishes RB18 at last minute

Although Red Bull Racing is the second team to present the new car, the car will not be ready until the very last moment in 2022. This is what Helmut Marko tells us in conversation with F1insider.com. 

RB18 presentation for the fans

In 2021 Red Bull deliberately chose to have the car ready earlier than in previous years. A choice that worked out well, because Max Verstappen was able to take pole immediately in Bahrain. The RB16B was there right from the start of the season and that gave Verstappen a fine buffer towards the final stretch. In 2022, however, Red Bull will be turning things around again.

Despite Red Bull presenting the new car as the second team already on February 9, Marko states that people should not expect much from this. According to the Austrian, the event is mainly for the fans and sponsors, but it will not give away any details of the car.

It is logical that Red Bull does not want to make the competition any wiser by already publishing a full car, but it appears that the team is not that far along at all. ''The new car will only be ready shortly before the test in Barcelona. From there we will further develop and update the car in Bahrain," the consultant said.

Red Bull not ready yet

Whereas Red Bull was often criticized in previous years for only becoming competitive towards the end of the season, in 2021 they deliberately chose to finish the car earlier. This worked out well in 2021, but Marko explains why it is no longer advantageous in 2022.

''The rules remained the same last year, so we could have the car ready much earlier. That turned out to be the right decision. For this year, it's exactly the other way around. With the new rules, everyone wants to finish the car as late as possible and to not show things too soon,'' Marko explains. Whether this will also prove successful remains to be seen.