The Red Bull RB20 was, fittingly, the last car to launch ahead of the 2024 Formula 1 season. It was fitting because the other teams had displayed (most of) their updates aimed at getting closer to last year’s champion squad, which only amplified the levels of awe when the radically different RB20 was finally revealed. Rather than continuing along a similar vein of development from its previous title-winning cars, Red Bull went for a very different design that contained some elements akin to those previously tried by its rivals.
Most of the attention at the launch focused on the revised sidepods. Rather than using a sidepod inlet in the ‘letterbox’ style with a protruding lower lip, Red Bull appeared to forgo the lower lip altogether and produce a vertical inlet that was bordered with bodywork on the top surface, while the lower surface shyly backed into the deep sidepod undercut. The RB20 also featured linear bulges on either side of the rear section, similar to the design that Mercedes took on its car last year but then rowed back on for 2024. Elsewhere, the Red Bull’s new nose extended to the end of the outermost wing element rather than stopping one element short.
Some aspects of the dominant RB19 went mostly unchanged, including the rear wing. Red Bull also retained its suspension layout of pull-rod on the front and pushrod on the rear that yielded superior platform control when the car pitched and dived under acceleration and braking. The arrangements of the RB20’s various suspension arms were similar to those on the RB19.
The secrets of the RB20 only fully emerged during pre-season testing in Bahrain. The eye-catching detail was in the three-part cooling system. The horizontal sidepod inlet that draws in air from the front, which seemingly vanished in the renders, was actually hidden underneath a lip. Nearby was the vertical inlet, while Red Bull also fitted inlets on either side of the cockpit.
At the United States GP, technical controversy erupted as details emerged of Red Bull’s ability to adjust the ride height of the RB20 using a device that altered the under tray. If Red Bull had used the tool to adjust its car’s ride height under parc fermé conditions, it would have been illegal, but the FIA oversaw modifications that satisfied its requirements.
