TECH ANALYSIS: The reasons Red Bull’s assertive RB20 is probably alarming their Formula One competitors.
Anyone who thought Red Bull would have made only minor modifications to the vehicle—which set all previous F1 records for success last year—should have known better. With its aggressive appearance, the RB20 deviates from the bodywork patterns the team started back in 2022.
Red Bull has made what looks to be a significant evolutionary step, just as everyone else has gone in the direction of what Red Bull developed in the first year of these laws.
With its tight inboard placement and uninterrupted length to the bottom of the chassis, the upright radiator intake is the most notable feature of a design that appears to have minimized surface area throughout.
The intake is shaped similarly to the original Mercedes zero sidepod of 2022, although it serves a very different purpose. Red Bull has kept the sidepods and used the vertical inlet design to give them a genuinely massive undercut at the front, while Mercedes used the shape to reduce the sidepods.
It looks to have a very different aerodynamic concept from the previous two years’ Red Bulls as well as the outdated zero-pod Mercedes.
These coolers can be ever-smaller while maintaining the same capacity to reject heat thanks to advancements in radiator technology. The radiators in the RB20 are positioned lower thanks to this and Red Bull’s skill in carefully shaping the radiators into stunning compound curve forms so the surrounding bodywork can be molded for maximum aerodynamic benefit (seen already in the RB19 from previous year).
The radiator section, which was previously located high up around the centerline, has been shifted lower. This has allowed the team to reevaluate the best arrangement for the entire car in addition to lowering the center of gravity.
In line with the radiators’ lowered height, the inlet is positioned lower as well, now resting below rather than above a bodywork lip. However, placing a horizontal inlet lower would have taken up important room for the undercut, which accelerates airflow from the floor’s edges in the direction of the diffuser’s exterior. Adopting a vertical form has made it possible to have a deeper entrance and a more pronounced undercut.
The extremely high bodywork shoulders, which create a dip between them and the engine cover (another resemblance to the ’22-23 Mercedes), suggest the path taken by the cooling air carrying heat away from the radiators to the back of the vehicle. The sidepods below are far less substantial than before and have a profile that almost resembles a classic aerofoil.
The rear upper bodywork is very short and ramps down at a steep angle, providing masses of room ahead of the rear wing, in addition to the alterations made to the cooling system due to the re-siting and miniaturization of the radiators. The sidepod is the same length, adding extra volume to improve airflow around the diffuser.
The purpose of this drastic overhaul of upper bodywork is to maximize the performance of the invisible underfloor component. The opponents will undoubtedly be afraid of the venturi tunnels ahead of the season since they will have re-optimized their geometry with a stronger airflow around the sidepods and along the floor edges.
