The overwhelming dominance of Red Bull over Scuderia Ferrari and other competitors, if there was ever any doubt, has been definitively certified at the Circuit de Catalunya in Barcelona, the track that highlights the aerodynamic qualities of the cars more than any other. To attribute the successes of the Austrian team solely to the genius of Adrian Newey would be reductive, despite the fact that the English engineer is the only “Special One” among designers for several decades.
The return to ground-effect cars has brought back the importance of aerodynamics over power units. At the dawn of the hybrid turbo era, Mercedes had a competitive advantage that allowed even non-top-tier customer teams like Williams and Force India to perform well.
The progressive convergence in performance of the power units, combined with the new technical regulations, has favored those who have always chased after the three-pointed star by leveraging the aerodynamic qualities of their designs. From 2014 to 2020, Red Bull had to compensate for the significant gap in Renault and Honda engines compared to the Silver Arrows and Ferrari by maximizing aerodynamic development, similar to what the “garagistes” (a label coined by Enzo Ferrari to identify the smaller assembling teams) did in the 1980s with the iconic Ford Cosworth DFV engine.
The Milton Keynes team, aware of its weaknesses, has built the largest aerodynamics department over the years compared to its competitors, capable of transforming Adrian Newey’s insights into aerodynamically impeccable projects. Moreover, the less continuous presence of the Stratford-upon-Avon engineer in the English factory has necessitated the creation of a numerically and qualitatively capable workgroup to support the incessant process of research and development.
This year will see the first edition of the Red Bull Engineering Academy, a project aimed at identifying talents who could become the engineering and technological leaders of the future. The program will take place at the Milton Keynes campus and will offer the opportunity to join the team in various areas: vehicle design, simulation, mechatronics, test and validation, performance, electrical, and manufacturing.
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It is no coincidence that the members of the aerodynamics team led by Adrian Newey have been and will continue to be the most sought-after figures by teams facing evident difficulties. Rumors circulating in the paddock suggest that Aston Martin has approximately 30 fewer aerodynamics engineers than Red Bull, still making it the second team in terms of the number of technicians in this specific discipline. Therefore, it is not solely Dan Fallows’ merit that the “green team” has developed the technical project, so far second only to the fantastic RB19. This leads to a reflection: the next-generation cars are imposing a change in the organizational structure, and Red Bull and Aston Martin have seized this opportunity with perfect timing, as explained by F1 expert Roberto Cecere for FUnoanalisitecnica.
Ferrari: failure is the result of an outdated strategic vision
The disappointing performances of the SF-23 are forcing Frédéric Vasseur to completely revise the organizational structure of the sports management. In addition to the need to quickly acquire know-how from competitors through the recruitment of skilled technicians, it is probably necessary to recalibrate the importance of professional figures according to a vision in which aerodynamics and chassis determine the success of a technical project. It is possible to win even without Adrian Newey, and paradoxically, it is Red Bull that has shown the way.
For some time now, Red Bull has been preparing the ground so that a lesser presence of the British “genius” does not become an insurmountable loss. Unfortunately, this is what happened at Ferrari with Rory Byrne. The loss of the South African designer was never properly dealt with by the Prancing Horse. Rory Byrne’s ongoing advisory role demonstrates that his successors have not been able to handle an extremely heavy legacy that should have been managed at the pinnacle of the Maranello team’s success.
This is Frederic Vasseur’s real mission since he stepped through the gates of Maranello. Rebuilding a team according to the requirements imposed by the next-generation Formula 1, also considering the freeze on power units. Ferrari’s insourcing does not necessarily have to include prominent technicians but also figures capable of transferring the operational model that some Anglo-Saxon teams are successfully adopting in the new era of ground-effect cars.
It will be a lengthy process that will require time. A new challenging starting point to digest for the fans, but the only path to return to the levels that befit the legendary Maranello-based team. A vision in which there is no miraculous update that changes the performance level of the red car, but rather the continuous upgrading of the team in terms of human resources, infrastructure, and work methods.
