Red Bull's recent Formula 1 updates have sparked intrigue and debate among fans and teams alike. The team's innovative approach to the rear 'flip' wing, or 'Macarena' wing, has caught the eye of several competitors, including McLaren. The RB22's bodywork, featuring a reintroduction of the 'waterslide' upper surface, has also been a topic of interest. This design choice has allowed Red Bull to reduce the travel distance over the top of the sidepods and onto the top of the floor, resulting in improved airflow and downforce.
The 'waterslide' sidepods, as described in the technical regulations, have a clear benefit in reducing the travel distance over the top of the sidepods and onto the top of the floor. This design choice ensures that the airflow passing over the floor does not lose as much energy due to skin friction, and it also creates some degree of rotational flow to keep flow attached over the top surface of the diffuser. By ensuring flow stability, the pressure differential between the top and bottom surfaces can remain large, creating downforce and retaining through-corner balance.
Red Bull's chief, Laurent Mekies, acknowledges the progress made by the team. He states that the team left Japan 1.2 seconds away from pole and China 1.0 seconds away from pole, indicating that the competition was not going to wait for them with their updates. The team has made significant improvements in the five weeks' break, focusing on solving issues and providing a consistent car to their drivers. However, Mekies also acknowledges that there is still work to be done, and the team has a few aspects to sort out.
The 'waterslide' sidepods have also sparked curiosity about the team's use of 'legality concession' in the rear section of the waterslide area. This area, which pertains to the 'engine cover' bounding boxes (Article C3.8.2), has an interesting topography that allows for a smaller convex outer bodywork and a flat-looking edge on the inside of the slide's concave profile. This design choice may have been a cunning linguistic workaround or a hidden insight in the rules.
In conclusion, Red Bull's recent updates have not only improved their car's performance but have also sparked interest and debate among fans and competitors. The team's innovative approach to the rear 'flip' wing and the 'waterslide' sidepods has shown significant progress, and the team's use of 'legality concession' in the rear section of the waterslide area adds an intriguing layer to the discussion. As the season progresses, it will be interesting to see how other teams respond to Red Bull's updates and whether they will converge on similar designs.
