Red Bull Racing is clearly a dominant force in Formula 1, thriving in the new era of regulations, with Max Verstappen claiming four wins and Sergio Perez securing two so far in 2023.
As a result of this success, Red Bull has surged ahead in the Constructors’ Standings, establishing a commanding 129-point lead over second-placed Aston Martin.
The team’s remarkable success has left their rivals intrigued and eager to uncover the secret behind Red Bull’s performance advantage.
Their curiosity was somewhat satisfied when Sergio Perez collided with the barriers during qualifying, inadvertently revealing crucial insights into Red Bull’s car design.
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In the aftermath of the incident at the Monaco Grand Prix, Red Bull’s ground-effect floor design was revealed, as Perez’s damaged car was carefully lifted by a crane and the intricate details of the underbody were exposed.
Andrea Stella, the team principal of McLaren, has expressed his admiration for Red Bull’s floor design after closely examining the circulated images.
McLaren’s aerodynamicists have dedicated significant time and effort to dissecting the Red Bull RB19’s floor, recognising its complexity and the level of development behind it.
Stella acknowledged that he personally invested time in studying the images, but he emphasised that McLaren’s entire team of a hundred aerodynamicists would delve even deeper into the intricacies of Red Bull’s design.
The floor’s ingenuity left Stella in awe, prompting him to commend Red Bull’s engineering prowess and acknowledge the correlation between their performance and the quality of their development.
“Myself personally, I spent some time, but the 100 aerodynamicists at McLaren will be spending a little bit more time,” Stella said.
“It’s very interesting indeed and also shows the complexity and the quality of their development. To be honest, when I saw it, I said hats off to Red Bull, I can understand why they have this kind of performance.”
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Red Bull’s ground-effect floor design has become a topic of intense discussion and analysis within the Formula 1 community. The team’s ability to exploit aerodynamic principles to generate downforce and enhance cornering capabilities has undoubtedly contributed to their impressive performance on the track.
While rival teams are eager to bridge the gap, Red Bull’s innovative approach has firmly established them as a frontrunner in the championship.
As the season progresses, it remains to be seen how Red Bull’s competitors will respond to the challenge posed by their ground-breaking design.