Collins suggests RB18 is behind on development compared to Haas

Red Bull Racing drew a lot of attention when the real RB18 showed up in Barcelona. While many people are waxing lyrical about Adrian Newey's new car, Sam Collins sees that Red Bull's car is not far developed in all areas.

Prior to the winter test in Barcelona, Red Bull Racing already showed the new RB18, but that presentation was more about the livery. We didn't get to see the real car and that became clear during the first day at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya. Contrary to the competition, Red Bull came to the track with a completely different design than the one shown during the presentation.

Newey's creation

It ensured that on Wednesday many people came to take a look at Newey's new creation. Especially the sidepods stood out or not. The sidepods of the RB18 have an extreme undercut that we haven't seen at any other team. Yet Collins, Formula 1's technical expert, is not as lyrical as some other analysts.

''Everyone talks about the RB18 as this miraculous car. It's an interesting car, it has got some really nice features including the side pods, but this is a team that developed the car until the end of the 2021 World Championship to try and win the title, which they did with their driver. That means they had to sacrifice developments for 2022 car and I think you can see that in some elements of the car,'' says Collins in Pre-Season Catch Up of Formula1.com.

Underdeveloped RB18

"Some parts are not as developed as at Haas or even McLaren. They have taken some radical design decisions like the side pods, pull-rod suspension and really interesting tunnels under the floor."

''We've seen some pace from the car, but this test they (Red Bull) were pretty anonymous. I haven't seen from them the confidence of the past seasons. Also, everyone is looking at the side pods, but I think you should look at the floor edge because that's where you're going to get the big performance out of the car. The Red Bull is not as developed there as other cars,'' Collins concludes.