Red Bull is not Ferrari, and it’s precisely for this reason that it reigns supreme. This dominance is entirely deserved, with no miracles, tricks, or particular secrets involved. No “active suspensions,” manipulated electronics, gray areas, or anything of the sort. All those are clickbait nonsense. The key to their success lies in the maximum understanding of the current regulatory framework. The Austrian team’s superiority stems from the F1 expertise of Adrian Newey, the ultimate authority on ground-effect single-seaters.
Though theoretically, one of the main goals of the new regulations was to level the playing field, in reality, the International Federation has offered a concrete opportunity to the most skilled: fully exploiting their technical knowledge to obliterate the competition. The brilliant mind of the engineer from Stratford-upon-Avon could not have abstained from such an offer, could it? Answering “yes” would be absurd.
But then, another intriguing question arises: How does the 64-year-old Englishman consistently hit the bullseye? Let’s start with a premise: winners celebrate, while those in the loser’s lane study. This is an aspect on which Ferrari, for instance, has been tirelessly working for several months. Our editorial team has learned that Project 676, Ferrari’s upcoming car, will be designed based on the concepts of the RB19. A sort of species evolution that the Prancing Horse is even convinced it can enhance.
Returning to the present, let’s summarize some qualities of Milton Keynes’ latest aero-mechanical creation, an F1 car that is seriously threatening to achieve one of the most coveted records of all time: winning every race in a season without giving the slightest satisfaction to its rivals. This endeavor is not an easy accomplishment given the length of the championship, but if any team can pull it off, it’s Red Bull.
Red Bull vs. Ferrari: Technical Setups at Odds
Starting from a blank sheet in 2022, there were many paths to take. Ferrari made a choice that initially seemed promising, while Mercedes, perhaps overly confident, opted for an extremely convoluted route that turned out to be a failure. The most fruitful path, needless to say, was Red Bull’s. A team capable of fully comprehending and effectively implementing the crucial technical points of the regulations on its car.
One advantage of the RB19 revolves around the clever placement of the side impact structures in relation to the chassis. This feature has provided significant aerodynamic advantages, particularly in terms of flow cleanliness toward the rear of the car, along with optimal outwash management. This is a characteristic that all teams are striving to make the most of within their projects.
This phenomenon concerns the ability to push the “aerodynamic stream” outward. The tires of an F1 car generate a series of turbulence that contributes to about 40% of the car’s drag. Moreover, the tire’s rolling motion drags the fluids downward. In such a context, the so-called “tyre squirt” vortex forms at the base of the tire, sliding toward the rear and must be controlled.
For this reason, through various appendages, technicians create an “aerodynamic stream” that starts from the cockpit area (undercut) and directs the turbulent mass generated by the tires outward (outwash). The intention is to prevent it from being “sucked” by the car’s floor, avoiding any reduction in its effectiveness in generating vertical downforce.
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Before we proceed, let’s debunk a myth closely related to the functioning of the underfloor: Red Bull doesn’t use active suspensions. In fact, active suspensions have been banned in F1 since the ’90s. What the dynamic department has studied concerns the specific angle of the suspension layout: the front one features a rearward inclination, while the rear one leans forward, referred to in jargon as “anti-dive” and “anti-squat.”
This choice proves highly useful in limiting the suspension movement of the vehicle during driving. This aspect, also shared by the RB19, is adopted by other cars like Ferrari and Mercedes, albeit less effectively. Therefore, reducing Red Bull’s advantage, built up over recent years, to this factor is overly simplistic and conceptually flawed.
Red Bull vs. Ferrari: Technical Directive TD039
The regulatory framework that came into effect the other year mandates the use of an “upside-down gullwing” floor to exploit the famous Venturi effect. When the airflow encounters a constriction created by a channel, it generates a pressure difference between the outside and inside that pushes the car downward. This concept was introduced in F1 in the late ’70s by Lotus and then banned in 1983 due to safety concerns that were not exceptional at the time. Interestingly, Adrian Newey based his own thesis on this topic.
Reflecting on the 2022 season in this regard, we must recall the introduction of the pivotal Technical Directive TD039. This “legislation,” in fact, regulated the ride heights of the floor relative to the reference plane (asphalt). It came into force from the Belgian Grand Prix, and from that point onwards, the still very good F1-75 was no longer the same throughout the remainder of the championship.
This aspect, which Mattia Binotto downplayed in a press conference by emphatically answering our specific question with a resounding “NO,” attributing the performance drop of the Scuderia to other factors, marked the beginning of the technical regression of the Prancing Horse. An abrupt performance decline that remains unclear to this day.
On the technical side, it can be said that the 2022 Ferrari project foresaw lower ride heights compared to Red Bull. We’re talking about millimeters that, in this case, have proven to make a significant difference. All teams suffered losses due to this measure. However, RB18 suffered less than the others. Bearing in mind that aerodynamically, what happens under the floor is highly intricate, commenting on this component of the car remains extremely challenging.
In practical terms, the regulation stiffened a portion of the floor. Coupled with the stringent checks by the FIA through a specific “oscillation metric,” any deviations from that algorithm necessitated raising the car’s ride height. This decree was later rescinded at the start of the 2023 Formula 1 season, replaced by the obligation to maintain a certain distance from the reference plane to avoid any erroneous interpretations of the regulations.
We can also add that the “bulky” sidepods of the F1-75 undoubtedly contributed to a lesser development capacity in the latter part of the championship. Yet, imagining that the aforementioned context had no impact on the performance of the Italian car doesn’t seem realistic at all. This is especially true considering other factors that negatively affected Ferrari’s competitiveness, such as poor reliability, bad strategies, driver errors, and an overall working setup that didn’t measure up.
To conclude, we emphasize how Adrian Newey has maximally harnessed the potential of the floors of the cars he designed. This becomes evident by observing the extreme “complexity” of the Red Bull’s keel. This point unveils the British engineer’s keen interest in this part of the car, fully aware, from the outset, of its crucial significance on performance.
Adrian Newey is a phenomenon. On this, no one can disagree. His history attests to this, as do the results he achieved in various teams he’s been part of. However, it’s also entirely accurate to make an additional observation in this regard. The Red Bull working group is outstanding in all its departments: aerodynamics, mechanics, simulations, strategy, vehicle dynamics, and more.
The tools like software and Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) that simulate the flow around the car are quite similar among themselves. What varies is how they’re utilized to gather as realistic data as possible. We’re talking about the inputs that the ingenious minds feed into the computers, a vital discriminator in doing a good job. Not to mention the actual use of the wind tunnel and, consequently, the ability to produce accurate data correlations.
At the current state of affairs, Red Bull seems unbeatable. It is so thanks to the capability of the people working within it, who are able to comprehend the vast F1 macrocosm with a broad perspective. This circumstance almost always guides the team in the right direction. To illustrate such capabilities, let’s discuss efficiency. Before the new regulatory era, the Milton Keynes cars consistently generated a lot of downforce, while the drag wasn’t particularly low.
However, over the years, the technicians chose to work on this aspect, applying the know-how gained from ground effect vehicles. A benefit accrued over time. This is the nature of efficiency. An F1 car can have significant downforce and excel in corners, achieving higher speeds than rivals. On the flip side, while enjoying this characteristic, it might be slower on the straights. Red Bull’s strength lies in maximizing these two elements, offering excellent performance in both grip and, despite employing moderately loaded wing setups, achieving astonishing top speeds.
This signifies that the car’s operating window is automatically broad, thereby allowing drivers and engineers to much more easily find the optimal setup. A quality that, among other things, guarantees a choice for the most suitable configuration for the long run, enabling them to manage the tires as they see fit in terms of activation and degradation. In concluding the discourse, let’s consider another aspect related to today’s reflections.
Considering all the positive aspects we’ve mentioned about Red Bull (there’s much more to say, but we’ll cover it in the coming days), it’s clear why Ferrari views the Austrian team as a model to follow and possibly improve upon through Project 676. This forthcoming car, as we await the infusion of fresh forces into the Ferrari Racing Division, will steer toward different technical setups from the current ones, with a specific goal: to achieve a significant qualitative leap that’s at the very least capable of throwing a wrench into the reigning world champions’ works.
Source: Alessandro Arcari for FUnoanalisitecnica
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