Sergio Perez’s RB18 to receive a major upgrade after a successful run on Max Verstappen’s car in Italy

Sergio Perez’s RB18 to receive a major upgrade after a successful run on Max Verstappen’s car in Italy

Sergio Perez

Red Bull’s RB18 which was said to be the fastest and the heaviest car on the grid season, has now started to cut down a few kilos and to be specific, 4kgs. The first upgrade in terms of weight reduction came at the Imola GP but was only implemented on Max Verstappen’s car due to the lack of time required for the production.

But now, the upgrades will be installed on Sergio Perez’s RB18 as well. This means going into the Miami GP, we can see a faster car in Checo’s hands too. And while many people accused Red Bull of favouritism, others countered by pointing out Sergio Perez getting the upgrades in Australia ahead of Max Verstappen.

RB18 has been reported to be around 15 kg over the minimum weight limit. We have seen it as the fastest car down the straights, but with a weight reduction of 10kgs, they can gain nearly three-tenths of a second and save €250,000 per kg cut down. This made the weight cutting essential, which will also pave the way for development ahead.

FS Video

Why was Red Bull’s car heavy, and how did they cut down on weight?

Sergio Perez's Red Bull in FP3
Sergio Perez’s Red Bull

Drivers and people at Red Bull must be pleased with the performance after the upgrades. However, the true performance of the weight reduction will be evaluated in Miami, as there are more practice sessions to collect the data from. Christain Horner, speaking of the new update, said, “We don’t know how much the new update has given us, but it certainly hasn’t made us slower.”

Red Bull reported that the work on reducing weight is a project and a challenge. The main reason for the excess weight of the car was, “RB18’s floor hadn’t sported any metal stays because of its stiffness. It has been designed to withstand huge negative pressure from underneath the car… stiff elements inside to increase its robustness,” as explained by the racingnews365.com.

The heavy floor was fixed after FIA approved the use of the metal stays. The team redesigned the floor, which will be jolted by connectors attached to the rear ends, preventing the downwards bending of the floor.

ALSO READ: Christian Horner compares Red Bull’s championship fight with Mercedes and Ferrari