Red Bull and Scuderia Ferrari are visually two very different cars, yet more similar than one might imagine. Both share a wide-bodied design to shield the car body from external turbulence, with the difference being that the RB19 channels the flow along the sides downward, while the SF-23 maintains its height until the rear. Adrian Newey was a guest on the Talking Bull podcast and commented on the design choices of Milton Keynes and Maranello.
Ferrari-Red Bull: similar concepts
“I must admit that the first time I saw the regulations, I was depressed,” Adrian Newey recalls. “But then I relaxed, and upon closer inspection, I realized that there was more room for maneuver than one could imagine. The result was cars that were quite different from each other. We developed our concept, and I would say Ferrari has followed a fairly similar one. Mercedes, with their zero sidepods, took a different path.” – the British F1 engineer explained.
“When you develop a car, at some point, you have to decide which direction to go,” Adrian Newey continues. “You are never sure which one will have the best long-term potential. Some concepts might pay off more initially but then slow down over time.” The words of the Red Bull chief technical officer echo a concept expressed by Haas technical director Simone Resta, suggesting that the choice of the initial concept is not always an exact science: “There is always an assumption and belief that one road is more promising than others, based on some initial information that may not be 100% complete.” Adrian Newey also explained that the choice of push-rod rear suspension for the RB18 and RB19 was the one that best suited the car’s aerodynamics.
The importance of a horizontal structure
Adrian Newey then continued to discuss the importance of a horizontal structure, an organization also desired by the late Sergio Marchionne in Ferrari. “We try to encourage a horizontal structure. In any organization, you need a workforce with a sort of hierarchical pyramid structure. Within the engineering department, however, we try to have a flat organization where people communicate with each other as much as possible. We try to reduce the number of meetings. The culture of meetings can be a huge waste of time. At the same time, we encourage people not to rely solely on emails. A bar or a cafeteria can help with this.” – the Red Bull boss pointed out.
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“We try to keep employees as informed as possible with each other. Engineering and progress of the car depend on generating ideas,” Adrian Newey continues. “It’s about having a culture where people feel comfortable presenting their ideas and where others are willing to listen. Then you evaluate them, and if it becomes obvious that those ideas won’t help make the car faster, then you have to discard them. But if they are useful, then fantastic, you are free to develop them.” The competitiveness of a car is the natural result of the internal organization, and the successes of the RB19 are the best testament to the effectiveness of Red Bull’s horizontal structure.” – he concluded.
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