Paolo Filisetti, a technical expert, looks at Red Bull’s McLaren-esque upgrade package for the Japanese Grand Prix.
Red Bull was the only top team to introduce performance enhancements for the Japanese Grand Prix at Suzuka, but only to a limited extent.
The upgrade includes a redesigned engine cover and rear suspension designed to improve the beam wing’s performance.
The development of the engine cover differs from the previous standard in two ways. It does not include cooling gills on the sides since the ambient temperature in Japan is expected to be significantly lower than in Bahrain next weekend.
Second, the new design is contoured towards the rear-wing pillar, with a smaller cross-section for venting hot air. It is consistent with the design philosophy of the McLaren rear bodywork, which serves the purpose of giving a broader portion on the sides of the rear bodywork to boost the out-wash effect of the rear-wing endplates.
This process significantly contributes to the generation of a low-pressure vacuum beneath the rear wing, hence increasing air extraction from underneath the automobile.
It is reasonable to argue that the package is not a substantial improvement, as more extensive ones will be deployed at future races, but it is a statement that the Milton Keynes engineers trust in the present RB21 idea and want to broaden its working window rather than completely overhaul it.
One thing was plainly evident during Friday’s running at Suzuka: the car seemed less jittery for rookie driver Yuki Tsunoda than it did for Liam Lawson in the previous two races, with Tsunoda’s input expected to help the team refine the challenging RB21.
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