F1 News
Analysis RB16: Strange nose and an even narrower rear than Ferrari
Aston Martin Red Bull Racing today presented the RB16 with which they want to attack Mercedes and Ferrari in 2020. Max Verstappen will be pleased to see that there is a lot of news on the car. Here is a brief summary of all the changes that we can see at first glance.
The strange nose on the RB16
One of the very first things you notice about the new Red Bull is the complexity of the so-called 'stump' on the front of the nose. At Red Bull, there was only one hole in the past here, but now two more slots have been added at the top. All of this has the purpose of directing air to very specific places so that more downward pressure is generated on the back of the car.
Further back we see a kind of shoehorn on the side of the nose. That is comparable to the construction that Mercedes had before, to better direct the air to the floor, as a result of which - you guessed it - more downward pressure is generated there.
At the very top of the nose, two very small elephant species were added. These are reminiscent of the larger elephant ears that were introduced in 2008. Even Ferrari came yesterday with the reintroduction of innovation of that time: The Viking Horns!
Front wings stay up
Just like Ferrari, Red Bull Racing is sticking with their concept from last year. While Ferrari opts for aerodynamic efficiency, with the outer edges of the front wing running downwards, Red Bull opts for maximum downward pressure. The elements are therefore quite slanted over the entire length of the front wing.
More detail around the cockpit
The wing on top of the mirrors seems to be standard for the coming season. Both Haas and Ferrari, who have close cooperation, already came up with it and Red Bull has them too. Under the mirrors, the 'bargeboards' and the wings on the sidepod are a bit more complex.
In addition to the 'headrest', we also see two small raised edges that guide the air past the bonnet to the rear, which are also new. Finally, we see here most stickers from new sponsor PayVoo, which replaces Futurocoin.
Who has the narrowest rear? Ferrari or Red Bull?
Ferrari yesterday proudly told how much was put into the compact design of the rear of the SF1000. But Red Bull have gone even further. From the rear wheel, we see nothing but a gaping hole. The bodywork is completely hidden in the middle. Also further forward we see that Red Bull has gone one step further than Ferrari. The curvature in the sidepods is a lot stronger, indicating that they are even smaller than the bonnet above.