Say hello to the Red Bull RB20! It is time to take a closer look

Red Bull has brought the curtain down on F1 2024 launch season with the reveal of their latest creation, the RB20.

The ultra-dominant RB19, which claimed 21 grands prix wins out of 22, will prove an extremely hard act to follow, but it is a task which the RB20 must take on.

Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez remain at the wheel, the duo laying eyes on their shiny new machinery as Red Bull took the covers off the RB20 at their Milton Keynes base.

Red Bull RB20 unveiled to the world

Verstappen will hope this is the challenger with which he can equal Red Bull history, by matching Sebastian Vettel’s achievement of four World Championship titles in a row between 2010-13.

However, he admits “time will tell” whether the RB20 will make that possible, with full focus on Bahrain testing from February 21-23 where he can begin the process of settling into his new weapon.

“I’m excited, it’s always very nice to see a new car come to life and how it’s built up with all the people around it and when you do your seat-fit as well,” Verstappen told media including PlanetF1.com’s Thomas Maher at the RB20 launch.

“For me at the moment it’s more about just looking forward to Bahrain, get testing, get comfortable with the car, understand what it needs and just work from there.

“It’s such a long season that we just try to hit the ground running as good as we can, really try to understand the car and then we’ll see where we end up.”

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The likes of Mercedes and Ferrari returned to the drawing board in hope of bridging the gap to Red Bull for F1 2024, with the challenger which they must go up against now clear to see.

However, rivals will have been put on notice by Perez’s prediction, having stated his belief that the team has made further gains upon the already near-unstoppable RB19.

“I’m just really happy to see that the whole team has put together an incredible concept,” said Perez.

“I think now we just want to hit the track properly in Bahrain testing and we will find out where we are in the first few races.

“But I believe that we’ve made some good steps in the right direction, so it should be another great season for the team.”

Having felt far from at one with the RB19 as the 2023 campaign progressed, Perez will be hoping for a more sustained spell of form with the RB20.

The Mexican racer started off last season with two wins in the opening four rounds, but wilted away alarmingly from there, allowing Verstappen to retain the Drivers’ crown with more than double the points of Perez.

And Perez will know that a repeat of his 2023 struggles could see him come under major pressure to keep his Red Bull seat, as he enters the final year of his current deal.

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