Max Verstappen taking back-seat role in Red Bull 2022 car development

Red Bull

Verstappen taking back-seat role in Red Bull 2022 car development

F1 introduces a new-style car next season

Ian Parkes & Ewan Gale

Wednesday 3 February 2021 12:38

Max Verstappen has revealed his input into Red Bull's car for next season will be minimal due to the complete restructuring of the regulations.

Formula 1 will enter a new era in 2022 due to a revamp of the existing aerodynamic rules creating a different look for the cars, with the goal being to achieve closer racing by reducing the amount of 'dirty air'.

Despite drivers now having a heavy influence on the direction of development in F1, Verstappen told GPFans Global he would take a back seat due to the differentiation between the current cars and next year's iterations.

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“It’s very different so I think it’s very difficult to have any kind of input," said the Dutch driver.

"It’s down to the engineers, to the designers to come up with the fastest car they can think of and design. It’s going to be very different but let’s hope for the best.

“I just hope it’s better for racing to be honest. That’s all we need because the cars we have now, they are really tricky to follow.

“Of course, we’ve had some entertaining races but I think it can only get better with cars that are better to follow.”

Verstappen led a one-man charge against the dominant Mercedes last term, finishing the season just nine points shy of second-placed Valtteri Bottas in the standings with two wins to his name.

The Dutchman has pointed to floor development being a defining area for the team should it wish to challenge for further success, with aerodynamic progressions being stripped back from last year for safety reasons.

“To recover that downforce [taken away] will be very critical and we will do that in the best way," added Verstappen. "We will be very competitive. So we will have to look at that.

“I think we have learnt a lot about our car last year which we will try to rectify for this year.

"We can’t do everything with the [development] tokens but it’s going to be an important year to perform. Of course, we’re looking already to 2022 and how that is going to go.”