Newey on RB18: "We're entering uncharted territory"

There is still plenty of work to be done for Red Bull Racing, according to Helmut Marko and Adrian Newey. The Austrian team has already collected a lot of data on the RB18, but six days of testing are not enough to fully understand the new car.

"We are entering uncharted territory. These cars are so new that we have to understand them first," Newey said in conversation with Auto, Motor und Sport . There are several aspects that can still be improved. For example, more can be done to minimize the phenomenon of porpoising, the RB18 is actually still too heavy and there is understeer.

Fixing understeer RB18

Saturday's new aerodynamic package (with a new floor and different sidepods) should mainly solve the problem of too much understeer. However, Ferrari is and remains the most competitive team, according to Marko. "Maybe the Ferrari is not the fastest car in the field, but it is the car that is the easiest to drive at the moment. And that brings the lap time."

The 78-year-old Austrian advisor further predicts that it could well take three to four races in 2022 before it is clear who has the fastest car. The team that develops its car the fastest and the most next season has a good chance of seriously competing for the world title. The evolution of the cars will be rapid.

Red Bull will probably also bring a whole package of updates to the Bahrain Grand Prix, so the RB18 that Max Verstappen will race with this afternoon will not be the same car as the one he will race with next week.