Red Bull simulator driver and reigning Formula E World Champion Jake Dennis has sent a huge warning to the entire Formula 1 paddock, after revealing how good the Austrians 2024 car is looking.
Red Bull’s 2023 car – the RB19 – will forever be remembered as one of the greatest in the history of F1, with Sergio Perez and Max Verstappen having won 21 of the 22 completed races between them.
19 of the wins were claimed by Verstappen, who cruised to a third consecutive Drivers’ Championship by a ridiculous 290 points ahead of his teammate.
Although that winning margin was nothing compared to Red Bull’s obliteration of the Constructors’ Championship, as they won it with ease after finishing a staggering 451 points ahead of Mercedes.
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Chief technical officer Adrian Newey has designed some exceptional cars in his career; however, none are perhaps as sensational as the RB19.
That could be about to change though, following Dennis’ comments that the team’s 2024 car – the RB20 – is “extremely fast”.
Dennis has predicted that Verstappen will cruise to a fourth consecutive Drivers’ Championship, unless the likes of Ferrari, Mercedes, McLaren or Aston Martin have a car capable of going “a second per lap” faster than last season.
Red Bull being even more dominant in 2024 than they were in 2023 is unthinkable, yet that is what Dennis’ comments suggest is on the horizon.
The Briton drove the RB19 last season several times on the simulator, whilst he drove it for real during Free Practice 1 at the 2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix and in the post-season test at the Yas Marina Circuit.
It means he knows exactly what he’s talking about, which is why him saying that the Austrians switched their attention to this year “quite quickly” should terrify the paddock.
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“We’ve got an extremely fast race car again at the Red Bull team,” Dennis told The Mirror.
“I would expect us to become Champions again, unless someone like Ferrari or Mercedes somehow manages to find about a second [per lap] overnight. I think it’s going to be quite a dull season in Formula 1 with Max probably dominating.
“I’d be lying if I said we didn’t switch our attention to the 2024 car quite quickly. We didn’t do any development on the 2023 car after Singapore.”