To say the RB19 from Red Bull Racing is dominant would be an understatement. The car has yet to not place first in any race over the 2023 season, but according to the team itself, Red Bull doesn’t seem to think it created a masterpiece.
Red Bull technical director Pierre Wache spoke to Motorsport.com, and he said that the car’s strength comes from doing everything good and not one thing great. Here’s what he had to say about the car:
“It’s not very good in one aspect. Why we think it is good because we are quicker than others, but fundamentally I would say we didn’t do a fantastic job. We did a good job. I was more surprised by others, who didn’t do as good a job I would say. That is why our expectations were different from the beginning of the year. I don’t want to be modest or whatever, but when you see some teams are able in three races to gain one second per lap, it means if you put the stuff together, it will be decent. It doesn’t require two years of development.”
His last point holds weight — one would generally look to McLaren’s recent success. McLaren went from placing in the bottom five in its first two races in 2023 to regular podium places in the last few, all after an upgrade package in Austria. While other teams may not catch Red Bull, it’s reasonable to think that some other teams may get faster after bringing upgrades after the summer break.
The F1 season continues with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort on Aug. 27.