Much of the focus on the RB19 revolves around its top speed – especially the way its DRS provides a straight-line advantage unmatched by rivals.

A number of theories have surfaced as to why the team’s DRS appears to be so effective – from that it’s simply the result of the impressive aerodynamic efficiency of the low-drag wing assembly, to its origins in the complex stalling of the diffuser and rear wing. result element.

But while Red Bull’s DRS continues to generate interest, rival teams aren’t obsessed with what they’re doing in this particular area.

Instead, there is a growing consensus that Red Bull’s DRS gains are the result of excellence in other aspects of its car’s design, rather than the trigger for its class-leading performance.

As Alpine technical director Matt Harman said when asked what stands out about the Red Bull DRS: “There’s been a lot of talk about the visuals, but I think if you really dig into the data, I’m not so sure about that.

“I think they’re usually very fast in a straight line. So from what we’ve seen, it’s not something we want to try and understand in detail.”

Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing RB19

Photography: Zak Mauger / motorsport pictures

What Red Bull’s rivals are targeting, though, is the way the RB19 is able to maintain its aerodynamic platform around the lap – which appears to be progress in getting the car to deliver consistent downforce to the driver.

Its anti-roll, anti-squat and anti-dive features are features that the opposition will want to adopt for themselves – once they can figure out exactly how Red Bull achieves it.

“We have some ideas,” added Hamann, where he sees Red Bull’s strengths.

“There are things we may not know because there are things we do (but) they won’t know either. But their ability to drive the car the way they do is impressive.

“I think it’s definitely an inspiration for all of us. So that’s where we’re going.”

Haas’ chief aerodynamicist Juan Molina said having a perfectly consistent platform, as Red Bull seemed to be able to provide, could give the team the kind of advantage it enjoyed during active suspension.

“If you think about active suspension, I’m not saying anybody has it, but if you have active suspension then you can probably win championships because you can get a car and you can develop it in a particular position,” he said.

“So that’s why we think that if you understand what your car is doing, or where you want to put your car, you can put your car there, you can get performance.

“You might see teams working in that direction and trying to understand how do we get the car as low as possible, how do we fix the bounce and then (perfect) your high-speed to low-speed performance, which is obviously important for a car driver.”

Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19

Photography: Andy Horn / motorsport pictures

Mercedes will begin the first phase of improving its own riding platform at the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix as it brings a much-anticipated update.

While the new sidepods and floor will provide the biggest visual difference on the W14, actually more critical to improving the fortunes of Lewis Hamilton and George Russell were the new anti-dive characteristics of its new front suspension.

As team boss Toto Wolff said of the potential payoff from the suspension: “I don’t believe in miracles, but I think the stability of the car and the predictability of the drivers are just below par.

“If we believe we can fix that and help it by redesigning the front suspension, then that’s definitely a good avenue. By simply unlocking more drivability and speed, that’s probably better than the aerodynamic components take More lap time answers to come.”

If DRS alone is the key to Red Bull’s success, Haas could theoretically be its closest challenger – as it nearly matches its rival Milton Keynes in this area.

Instead, as Haas’ Molina explains, the important thing about understanding how all F1 cars perform on the track is that it’s the sum of many elements.

Of course, the body and rear wing design may stand out the most to the naked eye as they are the key to the difference in performance, but the reality is that lap times are driven more by the package as a whole.

“It’s not just the body, but how it works with your floor and the spoiler, and how you have the different parts of the car,” he said.

“As regulations evolve, we’re moving towards a convergence of low-speed versus high-speed performance platforms. So, as you go there, the question is, where do you find the performance?

Red Bull Racing Chief Technical Officer Adrian Newey (Adrian Newey) starts the grid

Photography: Alexander Trienitz / motorsport pictures

“That’s where your platform, the link between your aerodynamics and where the car is on the ground, is important.

“So, if you look at Red Bull, they always know where that car is and where they want to park it. As regulation evolves, that becomes more and more important.”

Asked how hard it was to achieve a mechanical platform as perfect as Red Bull’s, Molina said: “Yeah, it’s hard. Last year our division was still developing, learning how to talk to each other. This year we’re much better.

“You can see it’s not just about aerodynamics, but how we tie the departments together: what we develop in the tunnel, how that translates to what you see on the track, how you set up the car.

“But, yeah, it’s not going to be easy, otherwise everyone would be where Red Bull is.”

The fact that competitors are far more interested in Red Bull’s mechanical platform than its DRS explains why the RB19’s rear wing was not the key to its success.

It also explains why not even Verstappen himself found anything unusual about his DRS dominance.

“I’ll be honest with you. I’m not surprised,” he said recently. “I think for us it’s very similar to last year.

“I think our car is very efficient on the straights. I see people talking about us doing magic things or tricks, but we’re not.”

Now the race is not about what Red Bull is doing, but how it is doing it.