'New regulations will play into Red Bull Racing's hands with high-rake concept'

Red Bull Racing look set to do much better in 2021 than they did in 2020. The new regulations are playing into Red Bull's hands, and Mercedes may be having more problems than anticipated.

Red Bull Racing had a troubled winter test in 2020. The car seemed fast, but Alexander Albon and Max Verstappen spun at the slightest opportunity. In 2021, Red Bull's problem seems to have been completely solved, but the Mercedes is spinning faster. What has happened here in one year?

Perez versus Verstappen

''It will be interesting to see how Sergio Perez holds up against Max Verstappen in the RB16B. That's a car designed around Verstappen, but Perez is handling it well right away'', says technical expert Sam Collins at F1TV. Besides the good performance of the Mexican, the RB16B itself also stands out.

''Last year we looked at the Red Bull in Barcelona, and we really thought 'what a terrible car to drive'. I still think Red Bull had an aerodynamic problem at the back last year, which couldn't be solved. Now there are new rules, and they seem to have solved that problem for Red Bull. The car is now all-round stable, and all the advantages of last year are suddenly starting to work.''

High-rake from Red Bull Racing

Will Buxton standing in front of the camera with Collins reveals what the men have been talking about previously. ''The new regulations may well work in favour of the teams with a high-rake, because you can use that rear end to recover the lost downforce. Mercedes now has a troubled rear end, and we've talked about it anyway, so now they're also playing with a high-rake concept.''

''Mercedes hasn't really revealed what they're doing with the rear, but they're definitely playing with the suspension at the rear of the car,'' Collins said of that.

''It's a fast car, but nobody has any confidence in it. Actually, Mercedes is now in the same situation as Red Bull in 2020'', Buxton concluded.