Red Bull RB10 Renault – Launch analysis

  The new RB10 was launched on 28/01/2014 in Jerez Track and it is  product of hard work out of clean sheet . Key spots analysis follows

 

1.At front the nose structure differs somehow from the finger extension design, having an elegant thin keel extension, very similar to the one seen a decade ago when cars still had single keel chassis to hold the front suspension’s lower wishbones . The overall nose stands closer to the ground , flat on top but bulgy underneath to stimulate the front wing’s efficiency as front wing holds to the nose via smaller pillars .

2. Front wing remains highly complicated, and transforms from a four-element wing to a six-element close to the endplates . Under flaps vanes, hard to observe, look very sophisticated either.

3. The S Duct inside the nose cone, just in front of the bulkhead, remains on RB10, but of course adjusted to altered  aero demands of 2014 . It helps to discourage flow detachment that takes place under the nose . Possibly the same system is capable of providing additional cooling solutions for nose housed electronics or even for cockpit ventilation.

 

4. As expected sidepod openings took special treatment so as to both provide additional cooling in 2014 and sustain an optimum aerodynamic silhouette. Sidepod tunnels look still very tight, highly sculpted at bottoms with a completely different end which closes smoothly to the car’s centerline having now lost the exhaust Coanda ramps and the tunnels underneath them .

 

5.Inside the RB10  a completely new packaging of ERS batteries, radiators, electronics and engine parts took place under the skin compared to previous RB9 .

6. An extra rectangular cooling inlet absent on RB9 and smaller to the analogous seen on Toro Rosso STR9,  exists under the airbox main opening. Furthermore that zone continues to be very sculpted for keeping drag as low as possible.

 

7. Rear wing is supported  via a single support onto the car’s body, just above the engine funnel. For easier wing assembling that  support is attached on a base extension a few centimeters above the engine cover . It is uncertain if DRS components are now housed inside that pillar, but that would be the logical step as beam wing, useful for connecting the system via the endplates to the car, is now absent. Furthermore such a configuration is simpler and less vulnerable to malefactions.

 

 8.  The single exhaust terminal pipeline is housed inside the oval shaped engine cover’s funnel, with the latest to be a common feature on all recent Red Bull cars .

All images credited to Red Bull Racing 

 

 

 

Renault V8 engine in Red Bull body

 

 

Red Bull RB9 – winter testing (pre season) tech summary

Chassis :  RB9

Engine : Renault RS27 – 2013

 

 

      RB9 is a refined version of the previous RB8 (2012 car) , with a “dwarf” vanity panel to cover the stepped nose, a more rigid front wing to meet the stricter FIA regulations regarding flexibility , retained ramp-exit exhausts, tunnelled sidepods and with a passive drag reduction system ,separated from DRS  to cut further drag favouring top speed.

        The S duct feature which is pioneered by Sauber in 2012 is present on RB9 . It helps to smoothen the negative effects of the boundary layer under the nose . The boundary layer is a slowed stream of air flowing close to a surface due to friction . The small vanity panel on the stepped nose section , alongside with the introduction of the S duct forced Red Bull to abandon the nose letterbox design which aided cooling .

Winter testing updates :

    At Barcelona test on February Red Bull tried a low downforce set up rejecting at the same time  the beam winglet, also placed extended heat shields on the engine cover around the exhaust zone and featured minor diffuser revisions . A new front wing, revised larger vanity panel and rear wing endplates with horizontal gills instead of curves made debut at second Barcelona test . It was also interesting to see Red Bull to reject the new diffuser and revert back to the old spec .

 

EVALUATION :

Aerodynamic performance :  very efficient as all Adrian Newey’s creations, provides good aero balance and enough grip .

Speed : very fast at both low and heavy fuel loads but shows very low top speed at straights . The ban of DRS free use at will during qualifying could potentially transform the low top speed issue into a real handicap for the team .

Tyres management  :   average for all three compounds, soft, medium and hard .

Reliability  :  pretty good

 

 

ramp-exit exhausts, FIA refused permission to Renault to change engine mapping in 2013 that would potentially enhance the positive effect of the ramp exhausts

 

 

Red Bull RB8 – Improved cooling for Malaysia

All teams,including Red Bull, at Sepang pay a greater attention to the  cooling efficiency of the car. Thus RB8 raced with gilled larger hot air outlets at both cockpit sides , which replaced the Australian simpler holes . The slots on sidepod tops ( pointed with green arrow) remained for Malaysia . That slots were present since the launch of the new RB8 but they were rejected during pre-season testing before coming back again at Melbourne .

Related articles

• Red Bull RB8 analysis – crazy enough to stand in front of the bull ? (formula1techandart.wordpress.com)

Red Bull RB8 – Front end changes at Malaysia

   At Malaysia Red Bull relocated the nose cameras to a lower position  inside the wing pillars .The new position , first seen in Red Bull  in 2010 , offers a small increase in downforce production , while former position a better airflow management around the nose cone .

Red Bull RB8 – new sidepod panels before Melbourne

New on the left , old on the right
The new panels were first tested in Barcelona test on March

    New sidepod panels have also been placed on the car before Melbourne. Old panel had a wing-alike joint that connected the middle of the panel to the chassis .The new one  has a top extension that bents vertically inwards to  meet the sidepod roof, resembling  more to a ‘biting jaws’ style connection , which  is less draggy, leaving more room for air to pass through the panel and the car body guaranteeing a richer flow to the rear .

Red Bull RB8 analysis –crazy enough to stand in front of the bull ?

   Red Bull easily dominated in 2011 but will the new car  be able to repeat a clear sweep over 2012 titles ?  People in Red Bull insist that 2012 championship will be tighter than 2011 but it is obvious that solid optimism glows all over their faces . That optimism is based on the  hard work they have done to evolve the previous RB7 car into the new RB8 and overcome downforce loss due to EBD (Exhaust  blown diffuser ) ban  .  Actually Red Bull says that RB8 is the fourth evolution 0f RB5 -2009 car .

INTERESTING DETAILS

 

      Cameras are attached at nose tip creating a distinctive T-Nose shape resembling to hammerhead shark , a familiar nose concept not only for Red Bull but for Williams as well .

      The nose vanes are clearly an update of RB7 late season ones inspired from  Renault R30 -2010 . Their use is to channel air under the chassis . The updated vanes sports a deep cut at their bottoms and because of that have an additional aerodynamic role which is to create turbulence across the vertical axis to reduce drag when turbulent air heats on car body

       The front wing is derived from late 2011 season and without doubt is a jewel on RB8 . It will for sure follow an aggressive development rate . For instance RB7 front wing had at list 15^th different revisions over 2011 season , some of which were only tested .

CHASSIS – NOSE DUCT 

     The RB7 had a highly raised chassis at the front to allow large quantity of air to flow underneath , a concept  retained for RB8 .  New 2012 regulations dictated all teams to develop strange stepped noses for their 2012 contenders  including Red Bull . The only team so far ( HRT and Marussia new cars are not launched yet)  to develop a lower banana shaped nose is  Mc Laren . The striking difference between RB8 nose and other cars is that Red Bull exploited the stepped area placing there  an elegant duct . There are rumors over the duct functioning with the major of which to be :

–          to feed a possible cockpit ventilation with fresh air to cool down the driver (most likely) . Many teams often put  a duct on chassis top just in front of the cockpit for this cause .

–          to direct air inside the chassis to cool KERS components which are located under and behind the driver’s seat . A more efficient way to cool KERS , due to structural reasons , would be through the duct located under the chassis already seen on RB7 .

–          to cool electronics located inside the nose

–          to direct air inside the nose cone  towards the front wing , to stall it favoring higher top speed in an analogous way  Mercedes did last season . This actually is the most unlikely of all , because mechanics had to change air direction to the opposite, something that would create unwanted drag  that would neutralize any benefits from front wing stalling.

–          the duct is a dead end and creates a high pressure zone (air dam)  in front of the opening  which helps to bent airflow over the stepped area more smoothly over the nose with less friction  . However the air canal created on chassis top due to raised sides do not seem to work nice with the air dam hypothesis .

  survival cell

   The external width of the survival cell must be no less than 6 cm per side wider than the cockpit opening when measured normal to the inside of the cockpit aperture. These minimum dimensions must be maintained over a height of at least 350mm. The chassis is raised on top at both sides and thus a channel is created ( U –raised chassis )

COCKPIT VENTILATION – THE MOST POSSIBLE OPTION

       The chassis side wall thickness is not able to contain a hole ,because such an option  would create stiffness issues and probably possible cracking in a crash side test . Most likely the air route is attached on the inside surface of the chassis wall right next to driver’s legs and  crosses the survival cell  to reach the cockpit zone . Adrian Newey also confirmed that the duct is for driver cooling .

 

A possible route for cockpit cooling

RIDE HEIGHT

     Floor exhausts allowed  RB7 last season to race with its rear end higher from the ground level and its front closer at the same degree to maximize front wing efficiency   . 2012 Periscope exhausts according to Adrian  Newey ( technical director of Red Bull) will force the RB8 to race with a more neutral ride height leading not only to downforce loss at  the rear of the car but also  to front aerodynamic grip loss .

SIDEPODS – REAR ZONE

   The sidepods remain very compact following the pattern of RB7  and the gearbox zone I even tighter packaged . Hot air exits are similar to RB7 , double outlets at gearbox sides and a funnel at the end of the engine cover . The rear wing at its launch version looks very similar to last season .

Red Bull RB8 – TECHNICAL SPECIFICATION

CAR

Chassis: Composite monocoque structure, designed and built in-house, carrying the Renault V8 engine as fully stressed member

Transmission: Seven-speed gearbox, longitudinally mounted with hydraulic system for power shift and clutch operation. APRacing clutch

Wheels: OZ Racing, Front: 12.0in x 13in diam., Rear: 13.7in x 13in diam.

Tyres: Pirelli

Suspension: Front: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers

Rear: Aluminium alloy uprights, carbon-composite double wishbone with springs and anti-roll bar, Multimatic dampers

Brakes: Brembo calipers, Brembo carbon discs and pads

Electronics: FIA(MESL) standard control unit

Fuel: Total Group

 

 

Renault Engine RS27 – 2012

Number of cylinders: 8

Capacity: 2400cc

Max rpm: 18,000rpm

Number of valves: 32

Vee angle: 90 degrees

Power output: Not disclosed

Engine construction: Cylinder block in cast aluminium

Engine management: FIA(MESL) standard control unit TAG310B

Oil: Total Group

Weight: FIA minimum weight of 95kg

 

 

 

credit:Red Bull Racing

Red Bull RB7 – More diffuser revisions at Monza

 

The Belgium diffuser version was obviously a platform for further modifications which were seen at next race at Monza . The main tab fence gained  the same arched patern of the diffuser roof but with less deep cut . The side curved tabs were replaced with enlarged and slotted ones .Finally the rear brake winglets were shaped back to Silverstone configuration .

The too many diffuser versions is not a surprise because red Bull raced also many different front wings which from their part effect and direct rear end modifications .

Red Bull RB7 – New Sidepod panels at Melbourne

   The sidepod panels gained a wider bottom section from the first 2011 race in Melbourne to improve airflow management around the lower sidepod zone .The wider panels were first tested during Barchelona test on March

Red Bull RB7 – New set of bargeboards at Monza

  At Monza  a new set of bargeboards was fitted on RB7 which had a saw-tooth upper profile and a new leading edge not vertical but inclined towards the body of the car in order to speed up the air flowing between the bargeboard surface and chassis hence improving underbody efficiency .

Red Bull RB7 – one more diffuser update at Spa

 

      Two races ahead of Germany and Red Bull had one more new diffuser in Belgium . The new structure had a revised rear deformable structure with a full length winglet under the light to optimize the aero performance both above and below it . The inner vertical fences had regained their former height while the rear brake winglets were reshaped once again .

The new diffuser was tested first during free practice sessions on Friday with the aid of fluorescent paint to reveal flow details .

Red Bull RB7 – Monza’s rear wing details

  GP of  Italy

     A special low downforce rear wing was presented in Monza which had an even lower attack angle than that used in Spa and also lacking the endplate slits . Surprisingly Vettel , who was helped by Red Bull’s special aero package, managed to take pole against all odds favoring Mc laren  and even to dominate in race in most convincing way .

Red Bull RB7 – arched diffuser roof at Germany

  Interesting but promising updates took place on diffuser at Nurburgring . The new roof  is now arched where the vertical fences meet the roof rather flat as was before . Red Bull RB6 also featured a similar diffuser concept last season . Additionally the inner vertical fences ( in yellow ) are now shortened to let a stronger air interaction between the two flows passing through the centre zone .

Red Bull RB7 – front wing development summary

    Red Bull’s obsession on details pushed the development of the RB7 to the limit , including the front wing , even though both driver and constructors championship were cleared out in favor of Red Bull relatively early . In total at least 15 different front wing’s versions were seen fitted on RB7 from Launch to Brazil . Some of them were new designs while some others were revisions of older versions .

	front wing versions
		raced	tested only
Total	15	8	7
New designs	7	3	4
Revisions of standard specs :	8	5	3

Red Bull RB7 – new rear wing at Canada

  pre-Canada

 

    In Canada most of teams are accustomed to introduce new rear wings im order to achieve greater top speed at long stretches , so did Red Bull . The new wing had a reduced chord and attack angle of the main flap , the V cut in the middle section of the second flap was also gone and there were new horizontal slits instead of curved on the endplates . The same wing spec was raced at Belgium

  Canada

 

 

Red Bull RB7 – New front wing endplate at Japan

 

   At Suzuka the hole in the endplate side was closed more to aid downforce production close to the endplate inner surface  .

 

Red Bull RB7-Rear brake winglet revision at Silverstone

        Red Bull in a quest of finding the optimum shaping of the rear brake winglets  presented another revision at Silverstone as shown in the illustration below .

New front wing at Singapore for RB7

 

After having experimented with two low drag wings in Monza, the RB7 had for Singapore further updates to its front wing to meet the needs of city roads of Marina bay circuit  .

This time the second flap had a new shape and gurney tab covering the entire length of the flap (No3) . The main flap is now double stepped  both close to endplates and central wing’s neutral section . The channels created under the flap, because of the stepped design, numbered 1 and 2 may rely on the same Venturi principle but serving different purposes  with No 1 to improve floor’s aerodynamic efficiency , while No2 to cut drag . Furthermore the main flap is extended  a bit  to the endplates  to generate more downforce and that changed the way it is attached to the endplates body (No4) . Additionally the “Γ’’ shaped arches presented at Monza were also retained (No5) .

The upper double profiled deck  is also larger and shaped differently (No6) with its leading edge to rise upwards close to the endplates. It gives me the impression that the new upper decks are now more efficient to capture air when cornering while this ability is restricted at straights favoring drag reduction and it is really amazing the way Red Bull pays attention to even minor details .

 

 

 

Finally the upper section of the endplate surface is moved outer (No7) to meet with the larger dimensions of the upper deck and also is perforated differently (No8) .

 

Red Bull RB7 – Rear end revisions for Spain

pre-Spain

       In Spain Red Bull had a new upgrade package featuring several rear end modifications . In particular the diffuser inherited a winglet under the rear  deformable structure which blocks the hot air coming from the two outlets sitting on either gearbox bottom sides to enter the central diffuser section from above . So the only remaining access of those hot emissions to the diffuser is through the engine starter hole .

Spain

      Another change is that the rear wing’s endplates gained vented extensions similar to the ones seen on Mc laren and Sauber quite a long time now .Worth’s remembering that Toyota was first to exploit those extensions back in 2009 to help diffuser extract air from under the floor more efficiently, because they divert air flow outwards.

     Additionally the lower combo of the rear brake winglets were also new , being now angled upwards.