DRAWING BOARD
RED BULL ADDS DOWNFORCE – AND RELIABILITY
For the first European grand prix of the season, Red Bull introduced a small winglet on its floor keel, akin to the design Ferrari has been running this season, to offer a slight downforce boost. Ahead of the weekend, the team noted that “local load has been added by the fitment of a narrow span secondary wing to the keel panel, which has been narrowed towards the leading edge”.
The splitter flicks up at the trailing edge, bidding to control any vortex production and increase the energy of the airflow passing underneath the car into the venturi tunnels.
The team also added an update to its rear brake cooling to improve the overall reliability of the system. This has, according to the team, “enhanced mass flow for additional rear brake material and brake caliper cooling from inlet and exit duct revisions”. There have been no changes to any of the internal cooling within the brake system.
The change to an 18-inch wheel design has influenced how the teams focus on developing their brake cooling solutions, since the heavier wheels have more inertia and thus require more energy to stop. The wheel covers also make heat transfer away from the brakes more difficult.
GIORGIO PIOLA