Red Bull fear rivals 'stealing a march' after Max Verstappen title-winning focus

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Red Bull fear rivals 'stealing a march' after Verstappen title-winning focus

F1's new regulations have the potential to change the pecking order

Ewan Gale

Thursday 10 February 2022 08:00

Red Bull team principal Christian Horner has conceded he is wary of another team 'stealing a march' at the beginning of F1's new regulation period.

Radically changed aerodynamics threaten a reshuffle of the sport's pecking order just a season on from Red Bull retaking a place at the top following Max Verstappen's title-winning heroics.

F1 has given a fresh sheet of paper to all 10 teams for the upcoming season and whilst Red Bull and Mercedes remain favourites, Horner is coy on whether his team could have missed a trick in development.

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"We're aiming very much to build on what we achieved last year, so the target is obviously to retain the title," he said during the launch of the RB18.

"The big unknown is, have we missed something with these regulations? Has another team stolen a march because of the focus and effort that went into 2021?

"We believe we've a good car. RB18 is coming to life. It's a combination of a huge effort from the team, and I'm looking forward to seeing it out on the track in anger."

F1 facing "a steep learning curve"

Red Bull launched its 2022 challenger during a virtual event on Wednesday [February 9], although much of the car is believed to have been for show and not representative of the competitive machinery expected on track in Bahrain for the opening round on March 20.

Asked what was different with the new car compared to the RB16B, Horner stated: "Basically everything because with a new regulation change, the whole philosophy of the regulations has altered from last year so that means every single component is brand new this year.

"With it being a ground-effect, with it being designed to making overtaking hopefully easy, the cars easier to follow each other, that's changed the whole philosophy of how we design these cars.

"It's a steep learning curve for everyone and it's a race of development between the first race and the last."