In the first two Grands Prix of the year, the speed of the Red Bull RB19 with DRS open was impressive and noticed by fans and insiders. Indeed, Adrian Newey’s new car achieved a top speed of 343 km/h at the Jeddah Corniche Circuit.
This figure is far superior than what was recorded by all the other teams, with Haas stopping at 337 km/h and Ferrari at 333. What was surprising was the ease with which Max Verstappen managed to recover from 15th place, overtaking his opponents even before the straights ended. If the new RB19 manages to be so effective on the straights with and without DRS open, the credit goes to the entire rear wing-beam wing-diffuser package. The interaction between these three elements turns out to be fundamental to extract performance both on the straight and when cornering.
The efficiency of the Red Bull package
From the front view of the rear wing we can focus on the connection between the endplate and the flap. It should be noted that Red Bull adopts a solution whose chord (distance between the leading edge and trailing edge of a wing) is comparable to Ferrari but narrower than Mercedes. Therefore, the W14 will develop more downforce in that area of the car which, on the other hand, also produces greater drag.
The Milton Keynes team uses soft shapes, without edges, unlike Mercedes. Weaker vortices are therefore generated which guarantee a greater aerodynamic efficiency of the wing.
However, the efficiency of the RB19 is not solely due to the design of the rear wing. The latter must be able to interact in the best possible way with both the beam wing and the diffuser. When the DRS is closed, the low pressure area behind the rear wing favors the mass of air passing by the beam wing to remain adherent to the surface of the beam wing itself.
This avoids separation and, therefore, generates more downforce. This also joins the operating principle of the diffuser. With a low pressure area above it, it is possible to extract more from the floor which translates into a greater air flow and a greater aerodynamic load generated.
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As soon as the DRS is opened, the beam wing, and consequently also the floor, will generate less downforce due to a different interaction with the rear wing. The term “stall” is often used somewhat inaccurately in racing to describe this particular situation.
The most important consequence can to be found in the resistance to movement, also known as drag. This, in some cases, is reduced even though there is flow separation on the aerodynamic surface. Looking towards the rear of Ferrari, Red Bull and Mercedes, important differences are noticed.
The Milton Keynes team is the only one of the three to use a diffuser with very rounded edges. As previously written, with soft shapes less strong vortices are generated but, on the other hand, there is less use of the volumes available by regulation. Furthermore, the beam wing used by Red Bull comes in more aggressive shapes than its rivals. Adrian Newey’s car at Jeddah featured a single profile beam wing with an accentuated chord.
Overall, the RB19 is able to use rear wings with comparable downforce to Ferrari but, conversely, manages to have the best top speeds on the grid. Mercedes, on the other hand, adopts more charged wings which denote an overall lack of downforce that is also reflected in straight-line performance. Milton Keynes’ car proved to be the best on the grid in terms of gap. All its components form a perfect union both from an aerodynamic, mechanical and engine point of view. What is surprising is the aerodynamic efficiency of the RB19 and its little impact on rubber degradation.
It will therefore be very difficult for the opponents to get close to the performance of Adrian Newey’s new single-seater, given the fact that the Austrian side has also established itself over the years in terms of the efficiency of its in-season developments.
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