F1 Technique: The secret of the Red Bull RB7 (+photos)Adrian Newey’s latest creation is the hot topic in the Formula 1 paddocks. The Renault-powered Red Bull RB7 has a perfect record of two pole positions and two victories in the opening two Grands Prix of the 2011 season.
A lot of people, especially the McLaren engineers were quick to say that the main advantage of the RB7 was its flexible front wings that seem to bend towards the tarmac at speeds, increasing downforce. Red Bull Racing boss Christian Horner refuted these accusations, saying in Malaysia: “Our wing complies fully with the regulations. McLaren have developed a car that has a very low rear-ride height, and therefore a low front wing for them doesn't work.” “We run quite a high rake angle in our car. So inevitably when the rear of the car is higher, the front of the car is going to be lower to the ground,” said Horner. We selected a series of the photographies taken by WRI2 at Sepang this past weekend at the Grand Prix of Malaysia. The Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari cars are here seen in the same corner, in the same attitude.
We can easily see that the RB7 is in fact running a high rake angle. The rear end of the car is much higher than the front end. In comparison, the McLaren and the Ferrari are running almost flat. So what are the advantages of running a high rake angle? A small rake angle generates a venturi-like effect from the floor, where the majority of the ground effects (or downforce) is generated. This angle is extremely sensitive, even one-tenth of an inch one way or the other one either the front or rear end can have a significant effect on downforce. By running the car in this position sends more air top the diffuser located at the back of the car.
With the cannon exhausts on the side acting a bit like side fences and enclosing the volume of the diffuser more efficiently, Red Bull loses the disadvantage of more air rushing in the diffuser through its sides despite the high ride height. The whole concept seems to be more efficient at creating overall pressure change and downforce from the floor and the diffuser. But note that every part of the Red Bull needs to be looked at as a whole concept, not individual pieces. And it's the sum of all parts that make the RB7 a fantastic car. Rival teams such as McLaren and Ferrari cannot just simply jack the rear end of the their car and expect a sudden gain in downforce…
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