Horner expects Red Bull RB18 to be developed very quickly

Red Bull team leader Christian Horner expects the RB18 to be developed very quickly as Red Bull discovers how to improve the 2022 car.

In honor of Max Verstappen's victory over the world championship, the car will be painted in the "1" and his teammate Sergio Perez will still be unveiled in the number 11. Red Bull is the second team to release a new car after Haas.

Horner discussed the overall rule changes in F1 this year, which he said meant the chassis had changed radically. This means that as teams understand how their cars compare to those of their competitors, the 2022 model will continue to evolve over 23 races from March to November.

Horner said: "Obviously, from a regulatory point of view, the biggest change is that this car is cleaner and doesn't have all the additional parts in last year's car. The overall concept of this car is to try to increase overtaking and closer racing, so it is a new concept, a new concept, a blank slate for every team. Because it's the new rule, it's going to evolve very quickly. I think when we get into the first race, the car won't look like it is today, and I think as the season progresses, that development will be quick. With this year's rule change, the whole philosophy has changed, which means that every part is different from last year's car. It's a blank slate for every team, a steep learning curve for everyone, and a development race between the first and last races. ”

There are fears that Red Bull may be behind other teams as they have been developing their RB16B last year to help Verstappen take on Lewis Hamilton, rather than turning their attention entirely to 2022 early, as some teams have done.

Horner addressed the concern at the press conference, saying: "We believe we will have a good car in 2022, it is the result of a huge effort on the team and I look forward to seeing it on the track as soon as possible." The development of new cars will be intensive and fast, and of course, under the limits of the cost cap, it must also be efficient. We're under tremendous competitive pressure, but our momentum is very strong and we're at the height of last year. ”