FRONT AERODYNAMICS
The RB7 follows the RB6 in that it has a high and flat nose – something that has since been
copied by other teams such as Sauber and Mercedes. According to Red Bull, it is all to do with the FIA-spec centre section of the front wing. The endplates are designed to push air around the outside of the wheels, rather than between them. Newey explains why this is: ‘With the RB5, right from the start, we tried to take that direction, which was part of understanding the regulations, and clearly the fact that the wing has gone from, I think it was 1400mm wide to 1800mm wide between, with the regulation change over the winter of 08/’09. So, we’ve taken that direction, other people didn’t necessarily at the start of 2009, but they started to adopt that through the year.’
his cars, and the current family of Red Bulls is no different. ‘It is the way I’ve always operated, pretty much from the start of my career. I graduated as an aeronautical engineer, which means not simply aerodynamics. Aerodynamics was one of the subjects that one takes on the course, but so are structures, controls and so on. It seemed quite apparent to me that aerodynamics, from the very early 1980s or late ’70s, was becoming the major performance differentiator between the cars. So it makes sense for the aerodynamic side to lead the overall design of the car in terms of packaging. All the cars that I’ve been in charge of, dating back to the IndyCars of the mid-’80s, have been designed to that ethos.’
This does not mean that
aerodynamics always take priority, of course. Newey takes a pragmatic view to handling the engineering trade offs. ‘We have sufficient research and simulation tools that we should be able to answer questions. So for instance, if there’s a compromise to be made between weight or stiffness, which are the usual things, then we should be able to input numbers and let the numbers speak for themselves.’ It all sounds easy when
Newey says it, but his rival designers continue to struggle to match his cars, and now he is turning his attention to the RB8. Judging by past form, it is likely to be another product of a very strong family line.
ASSESSING THE RIVALS
Adrian Newey is known for studying the cars of rival
teams at grand prix weekends and, of all the current cars, he sees the Renault R31 as the most intriguing. ‘The Renault is interesting because of what they’ve done with the exhaust,’ he says. ‘They’ve obviously
chosen to put the exhaust where they’ve put it, but then they’ve chased that through quite thoroughly, in terms of what that then involves in terms of the side structures, the radiator and exhaust packaging and how you manage the heat. Putting the exhausts out in that
position is a major engineering exercise. Whether it’s the right thing to do aerodynamically is another matter. I certainly find that looking at other peoples’ cars, occasionally you see something and think, ‘why have they done that?’ And that might be a source of inspiration.’
September 2011 •
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