Come Red Bull raffredda la sua auto da corsa

(Motorsport-Total.com) – No, Red Bull did not introduce a “Zero-Pod” concept at the 2024 Japan Grand Prix in Suzuka, following Mercedes’ example. However, the championship leaders, Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez, did have an update package for the RB20. One notable feature was the new air intakes in an unusual location.

These are the new “ears” on the Red Bull, located on the side of the headrest at the point where the cockpit protection halo is attached to the chassis. Previously a smooth surface, air now flows into the RB20 there.

There are historical precedents for such a technical solution, albeit on a different scale: the former Benetton team used a similar design on the B188 model during the 1988 and partially in the 1989 Formula 1 seasons, with larger air intakes at the time.

Either way, it is a very specific way of providing cooling air to the car. Red Bull is taking a unique approach with the RB20 in the 2024 Formula 1 season.

The purpose of the new air intakes

Images by Formula 1 expert Giorgio Piola show how air flows into the car through the new side openings (light green arrow) and meets a small radiator located on the side of the powertrain. However, this is likely not the only function of the Japan update: the new air intakes likely also serve to optimize airflow under the engine cover and in the side pod.

Matching this theory is the redesigned front intake in the side pod: the horizontal “slit” (cover image, small image top right) has received a different shape for the Japan race and has become even smaller.

For outer aerodynamics, Red Bull has added an additional strut to their mirror mount (light blue arrow). It sits in the middle of the horizontal bracket and is intended to help guide air flow better over the surface of the side pod – also towards the new air intakes at the cockpit edge.

Flexible cooling concept on the Red Bull RB20

The Japan Grand Prix also showed how flexible the cooling concept on the Red Bull RB20 is. Similar to Saudi Arabia, the team covered the side cooling slots in the engine cover but opened cooling slots in the “bathtubs” on the left and right of the engine cover. This gives Red Bull different configurations depending on the weather conditions.

Changes to the underbody

The underbody of the RB20 also looked different in Japan. Among the updates is the so-called Edge-Wing on the outer edge (yellow arrow), which has received a new, more aggressive shape promising more downforce.

Also new is a small strut in the rear part of the underbody (red arrow). The noticeable edge stands perpendicular to the wind and helps to guide airflow even more precisely in front of the rear wheel.