HOW TO KEEP A RED BULL COOL
Red Bull has also been experimenting with cooling around the halo mounting points on either side of the headrest. In testing, a mounting point was trialled with two additional ducts to boost the mass flow rate of cool air entering the car. There’s also an outlet in the dip between the mounting point and the rollhoop, aft of a tiny fin in between. This seems to be a solution to cool the car and also send airflow into the pocket behind the halo to trim any turbulence produced by it.
The air scoop, which takes a marginally different form to the one seen in testing, is removable, and was used at the Hungaroring and at the first Silverstone round to counteract the soaring temperatures typically experienced at the height of summer. But it was omitted from the package at the second Silverstone race and the Spanish GP, despite the high temperatures, suggesting that it was surplus to requirements and that the Honda power unit was staying cool without it.
The outlet, however, remains, presumably helping to keep the intercooler at the right temperature. Despite the Red Bull’s performance shortfall to the Mercedes W11, Max Verstappen has managed to complete this second triple-header with a win and two second places. It appears that the RB16 is, slowly, starting to come into play.