Red Bull copies Ferrari: there’s a vertical flap similar to SF24’s “Cobra”. has adopted an aerodynamic concept typical of the SF-24.

The world champion team is reintroducing in the Netherlands the engine cover without the bazooka, which is more suited to tracks requiring maximum downforce, but has revised the engine cover and some small aerodynamic elements. What surprised everyone was the appearance of a vertical flap beside the Halo, similar to what was seen on the SF-24.

Red Bull is copying Ferrari. The Milton Keynes team, in the package of updates introduced at Zandvoort, has adopted an aerodynamic concept typical of the SF-24: beside the attachment point of the Halo to the chassis, above the air intake that feeds the service radiators, a flow deflector has appeared that is similar to the profile we had nicknamed Cobra, while the small horizontal flap attached to the safety protection has disappeared.

The Milton Keynes team is working incessantly on revising the airflow around the cockpit: the segmentation of the cooling system into four separate stages has made the hardware of the RB20 very complex, and managing the temperatures of the Honda power unit and hybrid components has been much more complicated than expected.

Pierre Waché has decided for the Dutch GP to use the engine cover without the bazookas, returning to the high downforce bodywork that debuted in Hungary only with Max Verstappen. The solution has now been extended to both drivers, although the design of the engine cover and the gills for venting hot air have been revised compared to the Hungaroring, with a greater tapering of the assembly on the mechanical body, leading to a more prominent megaphone at the rear.

In studying the airflow, with the support of the mirrors, the RB20 has seen the disappearance of the flow diverter that extended toward the rear under the mirror, while the horizontal stay that extends from the cockpit and attaches to the mirror has been reshaped into a small profile with an L-shaped curvature.

We are talking about micro-aerodynamic developments that demonstrate the care with which airflow is studied and directed in the pursuit of performance. However, Red Bull has not yet defined what can be considered a standard for the RB20: in addition to modifying the engine cover based on the tracks, there is also an alternation in the front wings and noses.

While Max Verstappen has at Zandvoort the new, more streamlined nose version, Sergio Perez is sticking with the older, more squared-off version. These are uncertainties that were unthinkable in previous years, but they highlight the atmosphere within the world champion team after Adrian Newey officially announced his departure…