"1.5-2 seconds of development will be found" - Red Bull hopeful of improved performance over time

Red Bull F1 team CEO Christian Horner has suggested that his team can still find up to two seconds of more performance with further development to their car. Speaking to Racing News 365, the Briton mentioned that the team had a successful three days in the Barcelona pre-season test.

Explaining the performance they can find in further development of the RB18, Horner said:

“There will be a steep learning curve. With these new rules, we are finding more performance every week – 1.5-2 seconds of development will be found. On some circuits, we won’t be far from last year’s pole position.”

The RB18, which is already considered to be in the competitive form from its Barcelona-spec version, is expected to evolve further in the Bahrain preseason test and the subsequent race. Horner suggested that Red Bull will be as competitive as it was last year on certain circuits.

Evaluating the pre-season test in Barcelona, Horner said:

“We had a gearbox problem but it was nothing dramatic. The test is mainly about the process of getting to know the car better. We collected a lot of data and drove a lot of laps. We had a positive first test. We learned a lot about the new tires and also about how the ground-effect works on the cars. There is much more to come.”

Horner revealed that the gearbox problem that interrupted Sergio Perez’s morning session on the second day of the test was a minor one. The Milton Keynes-based team's chief believes it achieved its test goals successfully and was focused on learning about the new tires and the ground-effect technology on the cars.

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Red Bull claimed nature of new rules made them conceal their concept ahead of test

Red Bull F1 team principal Christian Horner revealed that they could not reveal the original car at the launch itself due to the radical nature of the new regulations. The four-time world champions believed in concealing some of the details and design philosophy of the car until the first day of the test in Barcelona.

Revealing the reason behind launching a dummy model at the 2022 car launch, Horner said:

“The car has indeed changed considerably since launch. Things move fast in the Formula 1 world. Every part is different from then. The radical nature of these rules means you don’t want to give away your concept too early, especially in the fast-moving world of Formula 1.”

Essentially, the Milton Keynes-based squad had a livery launch on February 9, where the RB18 looked significantly different from the version that hit the tarmac in Montmelo. When their real RB18 broke cover on February 23, however, the car was a head-turner and intrigued all the rival teams with its radical design.