Stella shows awe for Red Bull with RB20: 'They've definitely been brave'

Red Bull Racing's RB20 for the new season particularly impressed on the first day of testing in Bahrain. With Max Verstappen behind the wheel, the fastest time was recorded, which was more than one second faster than Lando Norris' time. Team boss of Norris' McLaren, Andrea Stella, reacts to the RB20 in Bahrain.

The Red Bull car's sidepods, in particular, stand out, as they are very similar to Mercedes' Zeropod concept, which failed. "I have to say that when I saw the car, I was like, 'Wow, they certainly were brave in changing some of the shapes that made that car so successful last year.'

Because the 2023 constructors' champion was known fairly early on, Red Bull had lots of time to work on the new car for the 2024 season, Stella agrees. "Like I said before, I think they could enjoy such an advantage last year that gave them the confidence from a timeline point of view to take these risks early on to actually see whether it works."

"What I would say though, is that there is innovation we can see microscopically. Like I've said already in these regulations, a lot is in the millimetres, and a lot happens in what we don't see between the underneath of the car and the ground," the McLaren man continued. Yet there are more things in the car that have been modified that are not initially visible. "While this could be the most visible, it is not necessarily the most impactful in terms of the step forward they made."