Red Bull confirms launch date of 2021 F1 challenger

Red Bull Racing have revealed the launch date for their 2021 F1 contender, the RB16B that will be unveiled on February 23 by the Milton Keynes-based team.

On the day when its sister team AlphaTauri launched its new car, the AT02, Red Bull Racing announced its plans regarding the presentation of its own new 2021 contender. The new car is set to be unveiled on on February 23.

The new car will have significant updates to its rear end not just because of the regulation changes, but also as a reaction to the stability issues concerning the rear end of the new car’s predecessor. The RB16B will also feature a new Honda power unit for 2021, the final year of the Japanese engine supplier’s active presence in Formula One.

The energy drink company-owned team will field a fresh driver line-up in 2021 with Max Verstappen staying for another year. The Belgian-Dutch driver will be joined by Sergio Perez, who ended his long partnership with the Racing Point outfit at the end of 2020.

Speaking in an interview with the Autosport magazine, Horner said that he expects the Guadalajara-born 31-year-old driver to pose a real challenge to Max Verstappen.

“It'll be very difficult to get himself up to speed in just one test, straightaway, But he has the benefit of a lot of experience and, of course, we are expecting him to be close to Max and challenging - in a way that we had with Daniel Ricciardo and Max for three seasons.

“So, hopefully, Sergio can play a real, really important role for the team in getting both cars, on a consistent basis, near to the Mercedes, he concluded.