This is the new Honda-powered Red Bull RB16, which was unveiled online ahead of its first shakedown test run at Silverstone.
Unlike last year, when the car was first showcased with that fancy red camo livery, Red Bull Racing has opted to display the 2020 challenger in its usual colour scheme.
The RB16 will be driven by Max Verstappen, who signed a new contract extension to remain with the team until the 2023 season. He will be partnered this year by the promising Alex Albon, who got promoted from Toro Rosso mid-season last year.
Verstappen will be driving the car in the Silverstone shakedown, while Albon will make his debut behind the wheel of the RB16 in Barcelona pre-season testing.
Honda’s progress and a change in philosophy to avoid what had become an all-too-familiar slow start to the season has left Red Bull convinced it can mount its first sustained title challenge of the hybrid era this year.
Red Bull Racing becomes the fourth Formula 1 team to offer a major glimpse of its 2020 car, following images of the new Haas, Mercedes’ livery reveal on its 2019 car and Ferrari’s full car launch.
The RB16 retains prominent branding from Aston Martin in what will be the British manufacturer’s final year as Red Bull’s title sponsor, ahead of its 2021 link-up with Racing Point.
Social media:
https://twitter.com/redbullracing/status/1227517756586811393
https://twitter.com/redbullracing/status/1227558751068131328
https://twitter.com/redbullracing/status/1227553497975054338
https://twitter.com/redbullracing/status/1227578971509968896
https://twitter.com/redbullracing/status/1227621584367693825
Official website:
https://redbullracing.redbull.com/article/rb16-here-charge
https://redbullracing.redbull.com/gallery/rolling-out-race-livery
News stories on the RB16:
https://the-race.com/formula-1/red-bull-unveils-2020-car-ahead-of-track-debut/
https://the-race.com/formula-1/gary-anderson-assesses-the-red-bull-rb16/
https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/formula1/51447108
https://www.skysports.com/f1/news/12475/11931603/red-bull-hit-the-track-with-f1-2020-contender-as-rb16-is-launched
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.rapid-reaction-our-first-take-on-red-bulls-rb16.4Z50n2DYFGTUgZDU3RwkUz.html
https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.red-bull-launch-the-rb16-verstappen-and-albons-2020-f1-car-revealed.BLQTa8K2sbFjVKe9C3sk7.html
Technical analysis on the RB16 as provided by Formula1.com.
What direction did Red Bull take with their 2020 challenger, the RB16? Has Max Verstappen and Alex Albon’s new F1 car taken cues from Mercedes and Ferrari, or a different approach? Mark Hughes gives his first take on the Red Bull RB16…
Red Bull have popularised the high-rake car for the last decade, and it remains at the heart of their aerodynamic philosophy. It’s an approach capable of generating a lot of downforce, but it’s also less robust. Relying upon the airflow through the diffuser staying attached at big ride heights as the car slows down, it’s intrinsically a more delicate philosophy than the low-rake favoured by Mercedes. It was compromised significantly more by the 2019 simplification of the front wing, limitation of under-nose vanes and the banning of blown axles.
These features previously combined to create a powerful outwash that would allow the separate airflow down the bodysides to be less compromised as it made its way to the rear of the car, thereby creating a bigger pressure pull on the air flowing through the diffuser and thus further helping an underbody flow already boosted by the high rake of the floor.
The 2019 limitations of the aero tricks at the front of the car hit Red Bull – as the team working the front end the hardest to make their whole aero philosophy work – particularly hard. From being right on the pace at the end of 2018, they were over 1s off the pace at the beginning of ’19. It took until almost mid-season before they were back in competitive shape, helped also by Honda allowing their engine to be run more aggressively.
With an unchanged set of aero regulations for 2020, Red Bull look to be starting the season more or less how they left off at the end of ’19. Even more than Ferrari, the RB16 looks heavily based on last year’s machine, with some obvious tweaking such as the different, more slotted nose opening.
The heavily loaded outboard wing remains, as expected, and in that sense it remains quite different in aero concept to the Ferrari.
The question is, which will be quicker when it hits the track in Barcelona?