I don't think it will be what we expect, it never is. Red Bull likely have some hybrid solution they play with incorporating sidepids with a thin horizontal letter box intake and vertical intake. I'm actually hearing both Red Bull AND Mercedes are bringing an awful lot of stuff to try.
Williams’ F1 2024 car appears at Bahrain shakedown Williams’ new Formula 1 car has appeared for the first time during a shakedown at the Bahrain track on Tuesday. Jonathan NobleFeb 20, 2024 at 8:42 AM Upd: Feb 20, 2024 at 9:28 AM Image Unavailable, Please Login
They had lots of test races to do that last year lol! Haas to dedicate Bahrain test to solving tyre troubles
It's not about being brave. Red Bull didn't have to do anything. Their primary issue with the RB18 was weight. They cut it down for the RB19, and brought in some very minor upgrades here and there. With the aero testing ban they focused as much as they could on the RB20. Red Bull had absolutely zero need to change their concept mid season. None.
More of the Williams - Nice looking overall. Good luck to them. Want to see them improve! Tweet— Twitter API (@user) date
This car launch season is particularly whack. Many are saying Red Bull's sidepods at launch are almost complete dummy spec.
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and there we have it. Hybrid version of ZEROPODS confirmed Helmut Marko: Red Bull RB20 "is more than an evolution" In an interview with ServusTV, Helmut Marko has now officially confirmed that Red Bull has gone in a similar direction with the sidepods as Mercedes in the past. "It's more than an evolution. It's a small revolution," said Marko about the RB20. This year's solution is "not as extreme" as Mercedes' in the past, he emphasizes, but also admits that "the idea is similar" to that of the team from Brackley back then. In the simulator and in the wind tunnel, "it all worked very well", he emphasizes, but also warns against the negative example of Mercedes, because: "They were also convinced by the data of their side box-less concept. In practice, it didn't work at all." "And we will now see in the tests whether we can successfully implement this solution, or let's say a similar solution," says Marko, who emphasizes that the concept that Mercedes tried out two years ago is completely logical in theory. After all, the bottom line is simply to have "less air resistance". Marko explains with a grin: "Adrian Newey always preferred cars without radiators. But of course the engine people can't do that. But it is logical." https://www.motorsport-total.com/formel ... n-24022004
Always the tyre's https://f1i.com/news/499840-mclaren-and-alpine-snub-fastest-pirelli-tyres-for-bahrain-test.html McLaren and Alpine snub fastest Pirelli tyres for Bahrain test Pirelli has released its list of tyre allocations and compounds for all ten Formula 1 teams for this week’s three-day pre-season test at the Bahrain International Circuit that will kick off on Wednesday. Pirelli has hauled its full array of compounds to Sakhir, and even included its intermediary and wet tyres in its selection although there are no signs on the horizon of rain drenching Bahrain’s barren landscape. Overall, each team will have 35 sets of tyres, divided up according to each outfit’s selection, and spanning from the hard-to-soft C1 to C5 rubber. Testing is all about accumulating as much mileage as possible, so teams have logically weighed their choice towards Pirelli’s two C1 and C2 white-rimmed hard compounds and especially towards its yellow-rimmed C3 medium tyre. A glance at the graphic hereunder shows Mercedes topping the C3 selection, with the Brackley stockpiling 25 sets of the medium rubber, with Red Bull choosing 20 sets. At the other end of the spectrum, Stake F1 and Williams have opted to put only 16 and 15 sets of mediums in their inventory. Looking at the selection of hard tyres, Mercedes apparently plans to do little running on the latter, contrary to Red Bull, or especially Alpine for that matter. While teams will work diligently during three days on their new cars’ settings, prioritizing reliability and consistency over outright performance, the final day of testing typically sees a few drivers bolting on a set of softs for the purpose of topping the session and claiming bragging rights for their sponsors. But that definitely won’t be the case for McLaren and Alpine, with both teams snubbing Pirelli’s C4 and C5 sticky rubber, and even Red Bull disregarding the C5. Mercedes and Ferrari on the other hand are takers, so don’t be surprised to see either team at the top of the timesheets at the end of Friday’s running.
Red Bull major side pod change supposedly coming in Japan but we’ll see a taste of this hybrid zero pods/current trend concept soon enough
there has been no sandbagging checking race pace on longer stints for a good while now. We knew how fast the Red Bull was 2023 and 2022 in testing. I remember in 2014 Horner said he was worried W05 was going to lap the entire field, which he wasn’t wrong about as it certainly could have. Brawn had the drivers dial it back when they were more than 10 seconds ahead
Sorry mate, the glory days of sand bagging has all gone now with the extremely limited testing we have these days.
