What is the secret of the Red Bull RB19 single-seater? In the paddock, the story goes that Adrian Newey’s car is able to simulate active suspension. The Formula 1 technical regulation prohibits the electronic control of the movement of the kinematic mechanisms and, since the FIA did not find any device suitable for controlling the suspensions during the checks, it is reasonable to think that there is no “trick”.
This was also confirmed by the two Red Bull engineers who landed in Maranello over the winter to reinforce the aerodynamic staff led by Diego Tondi. And, then, it is legitimate to ask where the undisputed superiority of the RB19 comes from, as Red Bull was capable of scoring a one-two finish in the first two races of the 2023 Formula 1 season.
The suspensions, together with the aerodynamics (not so much extreme, but rather refined) contribute to making the Milton Keynes single-seater the Formula 1 car capable of running more close to the ground, without the risk of damaging the floor or the plank by crawling with the metal skids.
Quite simply, Red Bull does not suffer from porpoising, while Ferrari, and not just the red car, are still afflicted by it. How did Milton Keynes bring a seemingly manageable phenomenon under control? This is the question many are trying to answer.
Attention, in particular, was focused on the inclination of the upper suspension arms: even to the less attentive eyes it seemed clear how much the triangle had been inclined, reaching angles never seen before. Two effects are sought: first, exploiting the anti-dive effect under braking, i.e. avoiding sinking of the nose in braking, helping to reduce pitching and, therefore, the transfer of loads to the front to the advantage of a set-up more stable. Secondly, the arms are the first deflectors that the air encounters and, suitably shaped, they help to generate a clean flow in the venturi channels to increase the downforce.
In the rear, the opposite effect is sought, i.e. the anti-squat, to prevent the rear from crouching under acceleration and, therefore, the triangle (or rather the two elements of the multilink) is very inclined forward. “But the two combined actions – reveals a chief designer, as explained by Motorsport Italy – are not each worth 10% of the shocks of the suspensions, so the effect, however appreciable, is not continuous. It is much more important to have eliminated the bouncing”.
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On closer inspection, however, Red Bull reveals an important change of the RB19 compared to the 2022 world champion car: looking at the images from Motorsport Italy, you can see how the front suspension has been tilted forward, to move the front wheels away from the sidepods and Venturi canals.
We don’t have precise measurements, but we can assume that the wheelbase has grown by about 30-40 millimeters. On the RB18 the front triangle arm was perpendicular to the chassis, while now it is clearly oriented forward and the other kinematic mechanisms have been redesigned as a result.
The drawing of Motorsport Italy journalist Giorgio Piola below is eloquent and compares the 2023 suspension in black with the 2022 one in red: the differences are important. The advantage that Adrian Newey sought, therefore, was of an aerodynamic nature. Moving the front wheel away from the sidepods reduces the possibility that the wake can disrupt the flow intended for cooling the radiators and the channels for ground effect with harmful turbulence.
It must be said that with the W14, Mercedes sought a solution similar to that of Red Bull: instead of moving the front wheels forward, the attachment of the radiator vents moved backwards. The result, however, must not have been the same judging by the performance of the black arrow which has unsolved lay-out problems.
Upon closer inspection, the intervention on the R19 was even more subtle, because with this modification the center of aerodynamic pressure was also changed, adapting it to the needs of the new Pirelli tyres, designed to reduce the understeer seen in 2022. In short, more downforce and less tire degradation.
If we add to this picture the ability of the staff directed by Pierre Waché to make the rear suspension “collapse” with progressive springing according to the load exerted, exploiting the Rake effect in reverse, an ever clearer picture emerges of a Red Bull team that continues to refine concepts known to it with great results.
At the rear, the upper arm of the rear suspension is very high, given that it is anchored to the “saddle” of the mono-pylon, on two carbon keels that rise from the transmission box which at that point acts as a “cradle” for the single exhaust. In addition to the refinement of the construction that allows for weight savings, there is also a kinematic mechanism that tries not to take camber recovery to extremes.
We are talking about the angle (static camber) defined with the set-up which forces the tire to work at an angle in a straight line, to increase the tire efficiency when cornering. But when the car is subjected to greater loads on the straight, such as when braking and accelerating, it can trigger an increase in tire wear and temperatures on the tread surface.
With good aerodynamics, the vertical thrust can be generated to transfer the energy necessary for the tires to work in the right temperature window and the suspensions contribute not only to laminar the flows for better efficiency but also to protect the life of the tyres. This means all teams are looking for a mix that is difficult to achieve and for Red Bull today it is as if it has found the Holy Grail.
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