Red Bull's RB18 catches Mercedes' eye

The introduction of the new regulations for this 2022 season has forced the teams to play the card of discretion or even secrecy. Not wanting to reveal too much before the first runs, some teams did not hesitate to present showcars ​​decorated only with liveries instead of the real car in the image of Red Bull with his RB18.

We therefore had to wait for Barcelona and the first salvo of testing to get a real glimpse of the 2022 version of the single-seaters. And quickly eyes were riveted on the different cars on the grid and in particular on the Red Bull RB18.

Accustomed to innovating or daring with its cars in recent years, the Austrian structure has made a strong impression in Catalonia and particularly at Mercedes where the gaze was focused on the very distinctive sidepods of the RB18.

The pontoons of the RB18 seen up close. ©DPPI/F. Gooden

If it considers that it has mainly focused on its own car, the W13, during these three days of testing, the Brackley-based structure recognizes that certain features of the Austrian rival have been noted and will be looked at more closely at the factory. .

« To be completely honest, I haven't spent much time looking at the other cars, admits Mike Elliott, technical director of Mercedes, who even learned some lessons from his rivals in Barcelona. Instead, we focused on our problems. The people at the factory take care of that. (scan the other cars). The most different visual elements are the sidepods that Red Bull has developed. That looks interesting. We are going to return (in England) and think about it."

Another angle of the RB18 pontoons. ©DPPI/A. Vincent

Attracted by this novelty of the RB18, Mercedes should not linger there. After a rather successful week of testing in Barcelona, ​​the eight-time world champion team is fully focusing on the W13 which should receive its first adjustments. “ The reality is that the cars will change a lot between now and the first race, continues Mike Elliott. You will see different evolutions appear. » The Silver Arrows will have a first element of response from March 8 to 10 during the last pre-season tests in Bahrain where new parts should already be mounted on the single-seaters of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell.

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