RED BULL, RB16B - SAME, SAME, BUT DIFFERENT

Red Bull Racing presented the new 2021 car, RB16B, limited to two computer renders and a short video on the team's website. However, the real images will appear tomorrow, when the team will spend a filming day at Silverstone.

The name of the car has not changed, but the letter B was added, emphasizing the continuity of the design with last year's car. The team said that RB16B is a 60% copy of RB16. The front wing, underbody and other aerodynamic elements have been brought in line with the new regulations.

On the surface the first images of the new car suggests that not too much has changed over the winter. And while the deferral of new regulations to 2022 means that indeed there is a lot of carryover to this season, it doesn’t mean that our crew of highly-qualified designers have been lounging about on comfy pillows all winter.

Far from it, as under the skin the RB16B features plenty of changes that maintain F1’s status as a serial battle of the boffins. Of course, one of the major changes for this season is of course under the engine cover. For its final season in F1, Honda is introducing a new power unit and it’s this heavily revised beast that Max and Sergio will get a first taste of tomorrow.

The coloring of the car has hardly changed either. The logo of Aston Martin and several other partners has disappeared, but by the beginning of the season, the vacancies will certainly be filled. The team used matte paint again.

The Silverstone filming day will not only provide imagery of the RB16B for media and partners to utilise in the run-up to the first race in Bahrain but will also give the Bulls a first indication of what they can expect when they head out to the Gulf state for this year’s sole pre-season test which starts on 12 March.

The day will be of particular value to Test and Reserve Driver Alex. As well as driving an RB15 during the filming day Alex will be heavily involved in sifting through the feedback on the RB16B from Max and Sergio. This will give him plenty to work with as he prepares to help car development through the 2021 season.

And now that RB16B has been unveiled, that new season feels mighty close indeed. Just over two weeks to go until testing and a little over a month to go until the new charger is unleashed in anger for the first time at the BIC. We can’t wait.

Christian Horner, Team Principal: "Last year we have been upgrading the car longer than our rivals. We decided to take this path, because we knew that we could use many elements of the 2020 car in 2021. In addition, it was important to eliminate the data correlation problems that we had in the past."

"We overestimated our modeling tools and underestimated the fact that they cannot yet fully replace work on the circuits. As a result, the team showed its true form only in the second half of the season."

"As the season progresses, decisions will have to be made when to switch to the 2022 car. The situation is complicated by the budget cuts, which will have the greatest impact on Mercedes AMG, Ferrari and our team."

"It was a real gift for us that Sergio Perez was on the driver market. At the same time, we did not have to rush to make a decision, so we spent the season and analyzed the situation with the drivers. We decided that the best solution is to combine Sergio and Max in one team."

"Sergio has a lot of experience, he is a tough fighter. We hope that with his arrival the team will become more balanced, as it was in the days of Max Verstappen and Daniel Ricciardo. Our challenge is to provide the drivers with a competitive car."