The team will introduce two new components at this weekend’s United States Grand Prix designed to address to balance issues that have blighted the RB20 in recent months.
A new floor edge and engine cover have been noted in a document submitted to the FIA, the latter a circuit-specific update.
Neither Max Verstappen nor Sergio Perez have had a chance to sample the developments in the Red Bull Racing simulator ahead of this weekend’s race.
“We don’t have a lot of time to really test everything, but we’ll see how it goes,” Verstappen said.
“I don’t know at the moment what it will give.”
Championship rivals McLaren also have developments this weekend, with a more extensive parts list than Red Bull Racing.
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It boasts seven components in total, the changes focusing on the front and rear corners of the car.
There is however also a modified front wing among its list, designed to work in concert with the revised front corners.
“The new front wing geometry improves flow conditioning in conjunction with the updated front suspension geometry throughout various conditions resulting in improved aerodynamic load,” the team described.
Of the 10 teams, Ferrari and Williams are the only two without defined upgrades this weekend.
Red Bull Racing
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Floor Edge | Performance -Local Load | Revised edge wing camber over rearward third. | With more local camber in the edge wing over its rearmost third, more local load is generated whilst maintain flow stability |
| Coke/Engine Cover |
Circuit specific -Cooling Range | Sidepod upper surface lower and floor junction curve re-profiled |
Continuing the steps previously taken, more efficient cooling can be attained with the geometric changes to minimise the louvre openings. |
Mercedes
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Front Wing | Performance – Flow Conditioning |
Change in flap twist distribution | Change in flap spanwise twist, reduces front wing wake which improves flow to the rear of the car and rear downforce. |
| Front Suspension |
Performance – Flow Conditioning |
Re-profiled upper wishbone fairing. | Re-profiling has improved the attachment of the rear leg through an increased operating range, improving flow to the rear of the car. |
| Floor Edge | Performance – Local Load |
Additional vane element added to floor edge wing. | Additional vane element increases mass flow under forward floor, increasing vorticity shed from the fence system, increasing floor load. |
| Sidepod Inlet | Circuit specific -Cooling Range | Lower lip of sidepod inlet moved rearwards. | Lower lip geometry change has improved the flow alignment through a increased range of operating conditions and cooling levels – ultimately improving engine cooling. |
| Coke/Engine Cover |
Circuit specific -Cooling Range | Additional cooling exits local to rear suspension legs | Additional cooling exit added local to rear suspension to increase sidepod mass flow whilst minimising impact on downstream components such as the rear wing. |
| Floor Fences | Performance – Flow Conditioning |
Reprofiled inboard fence | New fence profile has improved local pressure distribution and position of vorticity, improving both local and downstream load through better onset flow. |
McLaren
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Front Wing | Performance -Flow Conditioning | New Front Wing Geometry | The new front wing geometry improves flow conditioning in conjunction with the updated front suspension geometry throughout various conditions resulting in improved aerodynamic load. |
| Front Suspension |
Performance -Flow Conditioning | New Front Suspension | The new front suspension is designed around the new front wing geometry aimed at maximising the improved flow characteristics introduced with it. |
| Front Corner | Performance -Flow Conditioning | Updated Front Brake Duct Furniture | The front brake duct furniture has been updated to complement the changes on front wing and front suspension, resulting in overall improved flow characteristics. |
| Front Corner | Circuit specific -Cooling Range | Low Cooling Front Brake Duct | Suitable for tracks with low front brake cooling demand, a reduced cooling front brake duct has been designed, improving overall aerodynamic load at the expense of front brake cooling. |
| Rear Corner | Performance -Flow Conditioning | Modified Rear Suspension Fairing | Small modification of rear suspension fairings with the aim of improving overall flow quality across multiple conditions, enabling aerodynamic load generation. |
| Rear Corner | Circuit specific -Cooling Range | New RBD Cooling Exit | The reworked rear brake duct cooling exit has been designed with the aim of improving overall cooling performance of the rear corner assembly. |
| Beam Wing | Circuit specific -Drag Range | Single Element Beamwing for High Downforce Rear Wing |
A less loaded, single element beam wing, which efficiently reduces drag in conjunction with the high downforce rear wing assembly, has been brought to this event. |
Aston Martin
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Front Wing | Performance -Local Load | A new front wing with revised twist distribution alongside a new flap. |
The changes to the front wing and endplate modify the spanwise loading of the wing assembly to improve the performance |
| Front Wing Endplate |
Performance -Local Load | In combination with the front wing the endplate has revised tip details. |
The changes to the front wing and endplate modify the spanwise loading of the wing assembly to improve the performance |
| Coke/Engine Cover |
Performance -Local Load | Revised bodywork with a different coke line and simpler upper shoulder. |
The bodywork and floor in combination improve the flowfield under the floor increasing the local load generated on the lower surface and hence performance. |
| Floor Body | Performance -Local Load | The main body of the floor has evolved in most places with the floor edge development. |
The bodywork and floor in combination improve the flowfield under the floor increasing the local load generated on the lower surface and hence performance. |
| Floor Edge | Performance -Local Load | Small changes to the details of the floor edge wing and the main floor inboard of this. |
The bodywork and floor in combination improve the flowfield under the floor increasing the local load generated on the lower surface and hence performance. |
| Diffuser | Performance -Local Load | The roof and sidewall of the diffuser have a slightly modified profile. |
The bodywork and floor in combination improve the flowfield under the floor increasing the local load generated on the lower surface and hence performance. |
Alpine
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Floor Body | Performance – Local Load |
Re-profiling of various parts of the main floor | General optimisation of the floor geometry to improve under floor flow quality with the objective of increasing the load generated by the floor. |
| Floor Edge | Performance – Local Load |
Floor Edge Modification | Re-designed floor edge to improve under floor flow quality. This floor edge works in conjunction with the redesigned floor geometry. |
| Coke/Engine Cover |
Performance -Flow Conditioning | New Bodywork Shape | The bodywork has been reshaped to improve flow conditioning and to better interact with the floor and the rear of the car. |
| Rear wing | Performance – Local Load |
Re-profiled rear wing main plane and flap | This rear wing assembly is introduced to offer a gain in efficiency with more rear wing loading. This constitutes a suitable option for this track. |
RB
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Floor Body | Performance -Local Load | Profile changes to the main underfloor and chassis interface. | Increased local downforce generation, and loss eduction of underfloor structures. |
Sauber
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Front Wing | Performance -Flow Conditioning | All FW elements have been updated. | The updated geometries aim to improve the front tyre flow structures. This has a positive effect to the flow field further downstream on the car, improving both overall downforce of the car and the aero characteristics. |
| Front Suspension |
Performance -Flow Conditioning | Combined with the new FW we have updated the front suspension covers as well – pullrod, track rod and lower wishbone covers. |
Together with the new FW the front suspension covers needed to be realigned based on the onset flow field to have clean flow features further downstream on the car. |
| Rear Suspension |
Performance -Flow Conditioning | Revised rear top wishbone cover. | Rear top wishbone fairing upgrade with local flow conditioning improvements. Positive interaction with the updated rear brake duct brings a small efficiency increase. |
| Rear Corner | Performance -Flow Conditioning | Combined with the revised rear top wishbone cover the upper rear brake duct deflectors were updated. |
The upper deflectors were updated in combination with the top wishbone cover. Improved local flow and positive interaction with the updated component brings a small efficiency increase. |
Haas
| Updated component | Primary reason for update | Geometric differences compared to previous version | Brief description on how the update works |
| Sidepod Inlet | Performance -Flow Conditioning | Deeper Undercut | Increasing the undercut under the sidepod inlet favours clean air flow towards the rear of the car. Combined with the revised floor this allows a more balanced performance increase across the car. |
| Floor Body | Performance -Local Load | Revised initial floor expansion and diffuser geometry | Increased front floor suction combined with improved rear extraction allows to increase the overall performance of the floor. |
| Floor Fences | Performance -Flow Conditioning | Revised fence alignment | The improved front floor extraction required a revised alignment of the front floor fences, as they must manage different flow features. |
| Floor Edge | Performance -Local Load | New Edge Wing design | The revised floor allows greater extraction from the floor edge, hence an improved design allowed to extract higher performance from the car. |
| Rear Corner | Performance -Local Load | Additional element on the IB cascade | The improved incoming floor to the rear of the car allows higher extraction from the rear corner, which is achieved with an additional upwashing component on the inner face of the rear drum. |
| Coke/Engine Cover |
Circuit specific -Cooling Range | Larger engine cover central exit | In case of additional cooling requirements, a bigger central exit on the engine cover is available. |
| Cooling Louvres |
Circuit specific -Cooling Range | New cooling louver design on sidepod and engine cover |
In combination with the new engine cover, additional cooling louver options are available, which increase heat extraction and try to minimize the drag penalty. |
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