Max Verstappen and Christian Horner both believe that Red Bull’s Formula 1 competitors will probably narrow the performance difference in the upcoming season.
With the exception of one race, the RB19 was fast enough to win all 22 this year. Verstappen was still in a class of his own by the end of the season, despite some progress made by their opponents.
Red Bull has spent months creating their RB20 for the 2024 campaign. Naturally, the team decided to follow the principle of “evolution, not revolution” when creating their newest masterpiece, considering the success of its predecessor.
However, Horner’s team is already far nearer the existing F1 regulations’ performance ceiling. This implies that their rate of development will probably slow down far sooner than that of their competitors.
The seasoned team principal claims he has already observed indications of it occurring. “I’m fully expecting – with stable regs and diminishing returns for us because I think we got to the top of the curve quicker than others – the field is going to converge,” Horner stated.
“Every year is a fresh start, and I have no doubt that you’ll witness a lot more vehicles that might have an RB19 aesthetic. In this industry, standing stagnant usually means regressing. We, in my opinion, have risen beyond that curve more quickly than others. However, the law of decreasing returns applies to us.”
What Verstappen has already forecast regarding the 2024 season is confirmed by his statements. Even though Red Bull was essentially unbeatable for the bulk of this year, the Dutchman is certain that his opponents will put greater pressure on him in the upcoming season.
“The others aren’t ignorant. Everybody is picking up knowledge. Naturally, things will come closer the longer the restrictions remain the same, as people begin to realize which way they need to go with their development. Fortunately, we got started with the regulations [in 2022] really successfully, but I anticipate that things will move in the right direction next year.
“As for which specific team, well, the entire season has been a little up and down for everyone excluding us, so I’m not really sure which one is going to take the largest leap in the winter. Naturally, we hope that they remain behind, but we’ll see in Bahrain.”
