Why Newey was 'embarrassed' at Red Bull's title-winning car
Red Bull Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey says he was embarrassed by the team's RB18 – even though the car proved the class of the field and eased to both Championships.
Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez used the RB18 to win a combined 17 of the 22 races in the 2022 F1 season, with Verstappen setting new individual records for the number of wins and points in a single season.
However, like many other teams, Red Bull initially struggled to get down to the minimum weight limit of 798kg. At the season opener in Bahrain, the RB18 tipped the scales some 20kg over the permitted limit, being around 5kg heavier than Mercedes and 10kg more than Ferrari – a state of affairs that Newey called 'almost embarrassing'.
"A lot of things came together that drove the weight up more than expected," Newey told Auto Motor und Sport , adding that the change from 13- to 18-inch wheels had had a bigger impact than anticipated.
"The tyres were heavier than we initiall...