F1 News: Red Bull’s RB19 Has Rivals Scrambling to Catch Up
Amid the suspense of the Canadian Grand Prix, a captivating narrative is unfolding in the realm of Formula 1. Red Bull Racing’s RB19 is stepping into the spotlight, steering the design principles of rival F1 teams. This replication was notably visible in Barcelona, as Ferrari presented new sidepods mirroring Red Bull’s, and even Mercedes, known for bringing their own innovation to the track, has adapted a suspension system similar to the influential race car.
The key architect behind the RB19, Adrian Newey, greets this mimicry not as a challenge, but as a compliment. Aston Martin first began the trend of borrowing from the Austrian racing team’s design, a pattern now mirrored by multiple other teams. But Newey stands undeterred by the copycat behaviour of his rivals.
In a candid conversation with Sky Sports, Newey expressed, “It’s a serious compliment when people copy. It’s part of F1 of course. We all look at each other. In truth, we have copied things from other people as well.”
In the ever-changing arena of F1 design, competition is fierce, and there’s no room for pride. Regular evaluation and learning from peers is an inherent part of this high-stakes race.
Newey further elaborates, “Some of that copying is visual, some of it is occasionally from people moving around – we have seen that this year. It’s part of F1, it’s an intense competition. You can’t have pride. You have got to always evaluate what others are doing. You might end up directly copying it or it might give you ideas of ‘why have they done that’ and does that make you do something differently.”
Newey’s philosophy reflects in how he seeks inspiration. His focus isn’t on outright imitation, but on understanding why a certain design step was taken and how it can spark new concepts.
“More often than not it’s, ‘this looks interesting. Let’s have a look at what our car does in this area in detail and does what they have done spark any ideas of how we might develop our own car.’ Not necessarily by simply copying but why have they done that and does that bring any ideas,” Newey noted.
