Red Bull chief deems F1 rivals copying as pointless: 'It doesn't work'

Red Bull Racing dominated in the 2023 Formula 1 season with the successful RB19, which has led several competitors to copy parts of the Red Bull concept. However, according to technical director Pierre Wache, this certainly does not guarantee success.

According to the technical director, Wache stresses that it can certainly make sense to take inspiration from rival F1 teams, but straight copying does not work. McLaren may be the only team to have introduced a similar suspension, but Wache doubts whether the Woking-based team's recent successes can be attributed to it.

It's all about the overall picture, Red Bull's technical chief explained in a conversation with Motorsport.com. For example, he thinks other teams can copy the RB19's suspension but stresses that one must first fully understand why this solution also works for their own car.

"You can't just copy for the sake of copying. That doesn't work. You have to have the knowledge and also have a bigger goal in mind where you ultimately want to go with the car's characteristics. If what you copy does not fit the overall picture, then it will get you nowhere," Wache explained.

Moreover, the technical director stresses that dominance "always depends on what others are doing". For instance, Wache mentions the possibility that other teams made mistakes in developing their own cars and that they might be stronger than the RB19 if the concepts had worked. In addition, there is also 'more than enough' room for improvement at Red Bull itself, according to Wache.