Looking back 12 months, few would have believed that Red Bull would end the 2024 season without the constructors’ championship and as the third force behind a resurgent McLaren and an ascending Ferrari. Yet, the just-concluded season brought the Milton Keynes team some satisfaction, thanks to numerous victories and Max Verstappen’s fourth consecutive drivers’ title, but also many doubts.
Red Bull’s fear was that, after a dominant 2023, rivals might close the gap and challenge for the top positions. Indeed, it must be remembered that last year Mercedes and Ferrari had changed concepts, needing to redesign their chassis to maximize their new aerodynamic designs, while McLaren was on a trajectory of steady improvement.
All these factors led the Milton Keynes team to rethink the RB20 in many areas, starting with the cooling system, redesigned as an engineering masterpiece but also revealed to be terribly complex.
Complex and unpredictable was also the behavior of the RB20 during the 2024 championship. It started with dominance but ended behind its rivals, creating uncertainties for the future. From the very tests, the Milton Keynes car showed a clear step forward compared to its competitors, partly because rivals had revolutionized their cars and needed time to establish a baseline and refine completely new designs.
This step forward was so significant that during the first four rounds of the championship, the competition achieved little, aside from the win in Australia, which was influenced by two critical factors: Verstappen’s retirement and the graining issues that later proved to trouble the RB20.
Adding to the long-distance competitiveness already showcased in 2023, Red Bull had also improved its single-lap performance, turning it into a key strength. While the RB19 was a race-day benchmark, it had sometimes fallen short in qualifying, which became a clear target for winter improvement.
Indeed, in the season’s first four races, the RB20 secured four pole positions, sometimes with significant gaps. Partly, this was due to track characteristics, but overall, it became clear that the Milton Keynes car had two standout qualities: high-speed cornering and significant progress in single-lap performance, which contributed to its championship win.
For example, analyzing the qualifying data from Saudi Arabia, it was evident that the RB20 was among the most competitive cars in medium-high-speed corners and on straights. The only other team capable of competing in high-speed sections was McLaren, which still struggled in slower and long corners due to front-end deficiencies in its initial MCL38 design.
These strengths allowed Red Bull to dominate the early season, building a points buffer that proved crucial for the championship. However, from the Miami race onward, when rivals began introducing updates, the performance gap quickly narrowed. While early tracks played to its strengths, subsequent circuits exposed the RB20’s limits.
Tracks like Imola, Monaco, and Canada shared common traits, such as requiring aggressive curb usage, something Red Bull cars had traditionally struggled with. Additionally, as rivals improved, the RB20’s critical weaknesses, previously masked by its early advantage, became more apparent. Although two of these three races resulted in victories, the RB20 realistically wasn’t the fastest car; Red Bull simply maximized opportunities and capitalized on rivals’ errors.
This trend reappeared in Spain, Max Verstappen’s last win in the season’s first half, followed by a dry spell that ended months later in Brazil. During qualifying, Verstappen secured second place, but the RB20’s struggles in slow sections became increasingly evident, forcing broader adjustments to its setup.
Two parallel challenges emerged: the car’s growing unpredictability, making it harder for drivers to handle due to poor balance, and discrepancies between wind tunnel and simulator data, often leading to Friday setup overhauls. Unsurprisingly, the RB20’s technical developments failed to enhance the car meaningfully. After the summer break, Max Verstappen reverted to the season’s initial floor design, which offered better feedback.
This stagnation impacted performance in two ways: while rivals closed the gap, unresolved issues persisted. Max Verstappen frequently criticized the car’s unpredictability and lack of adaptability, attributed to misdirected development. Meanwhile, the RB20 lost its predecessor’s hallmark versatility, with McLaren taking over that mantle.
In the season’s latter half, Ferrari’s mid-season struggles helped Red Bull maintain competitive performance, thanks largely to Max Verstappen’s exceptional contributions. However, as the championship progressed, the RB20 increasingly lagged, often ranking as the third-best car. The team even identified Monza as the season’s low point.
Telemetry from that weekend highlighted the RB20’s balance issues in both qualifying and race trim. Despite a higher downforce rear wing than rivals, which negatively affected straight-line speed, Red Bull opted to trim only the DRS flap. The car remained unpredictable, even in traditionally strong high-speed corners.
Ultimately, Saturday performances saved Red Bull in the championship’s second half. Max Verstappen clinched the title in Las Vegas on a Saturday, underscoring the importance of qualifying in salvaging weekends.
Before the Brazilian GP, Max Verstappen acknowledged how crucial qualifying improvements had been, especially as rivals made even bigger gains in race pace: “We’re working on difficulties as a team; these aren’t overnight fixes. Some teams made huge strides in race pace, which is strange because our car has improved compared to last year, especially in qualifying. It’s hard to understand.”
In the final races, Red Bull’s only other win, aside from a wet Brazilian GP, came in Qatar. Ironically, that weekend highlighted all the RB20’s issues. On a track perfect for showcasing its strengths—performance and stability in high-speed corners—the car performed disastrously early in the weekend, even falling behind Haas.
Sprint race data revealed how simulator-based setups failed to deliver, confirming deeper-rooted car issues. Engineers overhauled the setup using a reopened parc fermé window, allowing the RB20 to fight for victory, securing pole and a race win.
This illustrated the RB20’s potential but also its complexity for engineers, owing to a narrow operating window—a stark contrast to the RB19’s strengths.
It’s no surprise Max Verstappen repeatedly mentioned the 2024 car’s untapped potential and the challenges in maximizing it. This serves as a warning for the next season, where rivals are unlikely to start as far behind as they did this year.
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