Aero expert reveals SECRET behind Red Bull's dramatic new upgrades

Red Bull

Aero expert reveals SECRET behind Red Bull's dramatic new upgrades

Red Bull arrived in Hungary with a dramatic new upgrade package, leaving the rest of the paddock shocked

Harry Smith

Monday 24 July 2023 12:57

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F1 technical expert Sam Collins has revealed how Red Bull and chief technical officer Adrian Newey have been able to produce their new sidepod update within the constraints of their reduced wind tunnel allocation.

The Milton Keynes-based team were handed a reduced wind tunnel penalty this season for breaching the cost cap in 2021, although they have maintained their advantage at the top of the standings.

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By bringing such a dramatic sidepod update to the Hungarian Grand Prix, Red Bull attracted plenty of intrigue regarding how they could bring such an upgrade without breaching their wind tunnel allocation.

Unfortunately for the rest of the grid, it appears that Red Bull and Newey have done so by exploiting a loophole in the FIA's technical regulations.

Clever tactics from Red Bull

"What Red Bull have done here is quite interesting, because they've read the rule book and that's a really important thing to do," explained technical expert Sam Collins ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.

"So by changing this sidepod duct, what they've also changed is everything that's underneath this sidepod.

"All of the coolers, all of the radiators, all of those heat exchanges. Everything related to cooling the power unit has been changed, and the regulations are really interesting on this point."

Red Bull rocked up to the Hungaroring with a new sidepod design

She added: "Because when you change those parts, when you develop new radiators, you develop new ducting underneath the bodywork, that does not come out of your wind tunnel or CFD testing allocation."

Collins then explained that it wasn't a completely free ride for Red Bull though, with the team forced to use up some of their wind tunnel allocation on other parts of the upgrade.

"It's not like they haven't used their wind tunnel allocation," she continued. "They've just been really clever about how they did it."