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F1 News: Red Bull RB20 Sidepod Genius Fully Revealed In Pre-Season Testing

Red Bull adopts a fresh approach to sidepods on the 2024 RB20 F1 car.

Saajan Jogia

F1 News: Red Bull RB20 Sidepod Genius Fully Revealed In Pre-Season Testing
F1 News: Red Bull RB20 Sidepod Genius Fully Revealed In Pre-Season Testing /

Red Bull unveiled its 2024 title contender, the RB20, last week. And experts have been highlighting the genius behind the car's sidepods, courtesy of aero guru Adrian Newey and his team. While many speculated the design to be on the lines of Mercedes' W14, there could be a lot more to it than meets the eye. 

Key Takeaways:

  • Red Bull unveiled the RB20, its 2024 F1 car, with innovative sidepods designed by aero guru Adrian Newey, sparking speculation about inspiration from Mercedes's 2023 model.
  • Departing from the successful RB19 design, the RB20 features a vertical opening, aligning with Red Bull's ground effect philosophy, adopted by rival teams.
  • Unique sidepod elements, such as a subtle waterslide gully and distinctive inlets, set the RB20 apart. Driver cooling improvements, including small snorkels, address past health concerns.

The departure from the design approach of last year's triumphant RB19 by incorporating a vertical opening reminiscent of previous Mercedes designs, occurs as rival cars increasingly adopt Red Bull's design philosophy since the onset of the ground effect era.

In the previous year, the Milton Keynes team announced that the RB20 would build upon the excellence displayed throughout the 2023 season. However, upon inspecting the new car, there are significant indications that the team may have reached a limit in extracting additional performance from the RB19's design.

Thus, the "evolution", as team principal Christian Horner called the new car, features a significant change to its design. While the actual results can only be known once numbers arrive on the table in the next few weeks, the RB20's sidepods have a lot to say. 

The sidepod's exterior highlights encompass the upper bodywork geometry, featuring a subtle waterslide gully that extends down into the Coke bottle region towards the rear of the car.

Red Bull RB20
Red Bull Press Image

A closer inspection of the opening reveals a primary inlet situated beneath the overbite, resembling a stingray's mouth, and a slender vertical chassis side channel. Additionally, 'bunny ear' cooling elements are present behind the halo, providing supplementary cooling.

The rearward outlet has already been closed off while the car's been out on track, but there are high chances that the airflow is being routed to the engine cover outlets to aid in cooling. However, it isn't known yet if the airflow meets at a common point to cool the components in the sidepod or, if it has a specific aerodynamic purpose to serve.

Apart from the sidepods, Red Bull has made improvements to driver cooling for the 2024 season. In response to the health issues drivers experienced in the extreme heat of the Qatar Grand Prix last year, the team has adhered to revised regulations allowing the incorporation of driver cooling aids into the chassis. This includes two small snorkels located on the upper front panel.

Here's an analysis from a trusted engineer and fluid dynamicist on X (formerly Twitter):

"Some observations of the RB20. Really super slim front intake. Top lip curves down to help pull air down on top of the SP. minimize drag with slim intake, but keep forward undercut pressurization.

"Slimmer outboard SP shape than the RB19 with deeper mid undercut. Extreme V chassis in front of driver. Late water slide, and a curious location for louvre.

"Curious exit near the cannon cooling exit like last year. Possibly not used for the gulley cooling exit behind drivers head? Need better shot of the diffuser top edge, but possibly some interesting profiling here."

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Saajan Jogia
SAAJAN JOGIA

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