Record-Breaking Season (2023)

Lore & Background

Early-season rounds saw dominant pace, which was confirmed when Red Bull repeated their dominant performances shown throughout the previous year, but as the season progressed, the team found itself pressured and outpaced by rival teams, particularly by McLaren and their MCL38. While the team attempted to introduce upgrades and changes to their car to return to their season-opening dominance, an uptick of performance from McLaren and Ferrari saw them drop to third in the Constructors' Championship.

However, Verstappen took two more wins at the São Paulo and Qatar Grands Prix, the former victory contributing to Verstappen ultimately sealing the Drivers' Championship at the following Las Vegas Grand Prix, but even so, Pérez's poor performance in particular - finishing in eighth with 152 points to Verstappen's 437 - meant that Red Bull was knocked out of contention for the Constructors' Championship at the aforementioned Qatar Grand Prix, where, despite Verstappen's victory, Pérez failed to finish the race due to a clutch issue.

Ultimately, Red Bull finished in third in the Constructors' Championship behind Ferrari and eventual winners McLaren. The RB20 achieved 9 wins (plus 4 sprint wins, the last being at the United States Grand Prix), 18 podiums, and 8 pole positions – plus 4 sprint pole positions – and it holds 4 fastest laps. The RB20 was the last Red Bull Formula One car to be designed by former Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey, who left the team for Aston Martin midway through the season.

Reader's Guide

Competitive history: Pre-season: After the pre-season test in Sakhir at the Bahrain International Circuit, reigning champion Max Verstappen was reported to be 'pleased' with the car's characteristics; Red Bull, who only topped the first day of testing, opted not to focus on lap times. Opening rounds: Dominant form: The RB20's pace was confirmed in the subsequent Bahrain Grand Prix, where Verstappen took pole position; he then proceeded to score his fifth career grand chelem during the race itself.

His teammate Pérez finished in second, 22 seconds behind him. Verstappen took another dominant victory at the . Meanwhile, teammate Pérez finished in second place once more, this time 13 seconds behind him. This marked Verstappen's 100th career podium.

The saw polesitter Verstappen run into early trouble after suffering a brake failure, marking his first retirement in over two years (having retired at the same event in ), which allowed Scuderia Ferrari's Carlos Sainz Jr. to score a victory. Further wins and double podium finishes in the and followed. At the , Verstappen was set to win the race, having won the sprint, but hit a bollard and damaged his floor. A safety car period then allowed Lando Norris to overtake Verstappen and take his maiden Grand Prix victory.

Meanwhile, Pérez finished in fourth. Mid-season rounds: Falling behind rivals: At the , Verstappen led a majority of the race from pole position and would go on to win, despite Norris closing in by the closing stages, while Pérez finished in eighth, his first finish outside of the top five this season. At the , Verstappen qualified and finished sixth while Pérez had a heavy tangle with the Haas cars, sending all three drivers into retirement. Verstappen won the after a close qualifying session with George Russell, with the race being held under intermediate conditions that facilitated changes to the wet compounds.

He also won the . Verstappen finished ahead of Norris in both races. Meanwhile, however, Pérez failed to finish within the top five in both races; retiring in Canada after he spun the car and broke his rear wing, and finishing in eighth in Spain. Verstappen took pole position and won the sprint event. He was on course to win the main race, also from pole position, before a slow stop brought Norris into contention.

Did You Know?

• The RB20 achieved 9 wins, 18 podiums, and 8 pole positions in the 2024 season.
• Max Verstappen scored 437 points in the RB20, while teammate Sergio Pérez scored 152.