2012 Red Bull F1 Car (RB8)

Adrian Newey's latest design incorporates the stepped nose seen on many other 2012 cars, meaning McLaren is currently the only team not to go down that route. Newey confirmed that despite the visually different nose, the RB8 is still an evolution of the previous car but he was unaware how much the exhaust-blown diffuser ban would impact on its relative performance.


"It's the fourth evolution of the RB5 this year, so obviously the pressure is to try and stay there if we possibly can," Newey said. "It's a difficult task, we have lost the exhaust technology with the restriction exhaust outlet position that we were able to develop and perhaps be ahead of the pack on in the last couple of years, that led to a big re think over the winter. Whether that will affect us more than other people is difficult to know of course.

Vettel agreed. "You know, the last two years we have had two big things taken away, the double diffusers, plus, for this year, the system around the blown exhaust," he said. "So we are missing that and therefore I think it's difficult to really create a difference. We'll see, obviously we hope our car is better than all the others but it will be difficult, and I think the cars will be fairly similar, as in the gaps will be even closer than they have been."

Mark Webber, who finished a distant third to his teammate last season with only one victory, after a much better 2010 season that included four victories, pointed out the need for the team to continue its work ethic.

RB8 vs RB7