Anyone who was expecting Red Bull to make relatively small changes to the car that broke every success record in F1 history last year should have known better. The RB20 is a very aggressive cosmetic upgrade and a departure from the bodywork trend the team started in 2022.
Just as everyone was focused on what Red Bull had come up with in the first year of these regulations, Red Bull has taken what appears to be a major evolutionary step.
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The most distinctive part of the design, which appears to minimize surface area overall, is the upright radiator inlet, which sits firmly inside and extends to the bottom of the chassis.
In fact, the shape of the inlet is similar to that of the original 2022 Zero Sidepod Mercedes, but the usage is completely different. Older Mercedes used a vertical inlet shape to shave off the sidepods, but Red Bull kept the sidepods and used vertical inlets to give the front a really huge undercut.
Various angles of the impressive undercut created by Red Bull on the RB20
It seems to be a completely different aerodynamic philosophy not only from the old Zeropod Mercedes, but also from the Red Bulls of the past two years.
Advances in radiator technology have allowed coolers to be smaller than ever before with the same heat rejection capabilities. In addition to this, Red Bull’s ability to intricately mold the radiator into beautiful compound curved shapes allows the surrounding bodywork to be shaped for maximum aerodynamic effect (already seen on last year’s RB19) , the RB20 allows the radiator to be placed lower.
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By lowering the radiator area, which had previously been located high near the center line, we were able to not only lower the center of gravity, but also fundamentally reevaluate the optimal layout of the entire car.
In keeping with the reduced height of the radiator, the air intakes have also been lowered and placed below the lip of the bodywork rather than above it. However, placing the horizontal intakes low takes away valuable space for undercuts (which accelerate the airflow along the edge of the floor towards the outer body of the floor diffuser). To do).The transition to a vertical shape has made it possible to make the entrance lower and Reinforced undercut.
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The route for cooling air to take heat away from the radiator to the rear of the car is suggested by a very high body shoulder, forming a recess between the shoulder and the engine cover (also similar to the 22-23 Mercedes model). similarities). The sidepods below are almost classic airfoils, much less bulky than before.
In addition to changes to the cooling layout, the rear upper bodywork has been made much shorter and sloped at an acute angle, creating more volume in front of the rear wing due to the repositioning and downsizing of the radiators. Its short length matches the sidepods, creating more volume there and enhancing airflow around the diffuser.
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All of this thorough reworking of the upper body helps maximize the performance of an invisible component: the underfloor. With stronger airflow around the sidepods and along the edges of the floor, the shape of the Venturi tunnel has been re-optimized and it’s sure to strike fear into opponents ahead of the season.