Formula 1

Discover the major 2023 Red Bull F1 car modification

Published

1 month ago

23/02/2023

On the initial day of pre-season testing, the highly-awaited Formula 1 car of 2023, the Red Bull RB19, was unveiled.

Although we caught a distant peek of the car during its filming day at Silverstone, this is the first opportunity we have had to scrutinize the design up close. The RB19, which is the frontrunner for this year’s championship, was concealed during the team’s season launch.

Despite being an evolution of last year’s dominant Red Bull RB18, the concept is familiar. However, the team has made numerous meticulous alterations as they’ve discovered ways to extract more performance from the car.

During testing in the previous year, Red Bull turned heads by introducing a bold sidepod development on the last day of pre-season running. In the current year, it’s the sidepods that instantly capture one’s interest, not by a significant overhaul, but by setting new benchmarks for their extreme nature.

The sidepods have an eye-catching undercut that is so pronounced that the design has moved into twin-floor territory.

The phrase “twin-floor” was originally used to describe the 1992 Ferrari F92A, which was equipped with a lengthy and straight channel beneath the sidepods. Toro Rosso reintroduced this concept on their 2011 car, but neither vehicle achieved much success.

Red Bull hasn’t undergone a significant concept shift, however. The previous year’s car was already moving in this direction, but the even more striking undercut this year is what produces the impact.

The more extensive undercut amplifies the mass airflow, which is the total airflow capacity traveling down the sides of the body towards the gap between the rear wheels.

It is this flow that takes advantage of the diffusers and compels the underbody to work harder.

Based on the visible details, there is a skillfully crafted aero shape in the undercut that builds on last year’s design.

It’s probable that reducing the size and modifying the cooling package aided in creating these even more streamlined sidepods. Moving farther towards the rear, the downwash ramp at the back of the sidepod is slightly more assertive.

Although the sidepods appear similar to those on last year’s car at first glance, the sophistication and assertiveness evident here are representative of Red Bull’s approach to the entire car.

Therefore, while numerous other teams have tried to produce their own variations of these sidepods throughout the winter, Red Bull has been able to progress the design further.

Red Bull won 17 out of 22 races last year, so if the team follows that path of development, it should be in a good position for the upcoming season.