Gary Anderson, former race car designer and now technical expert for The Race, explains why Red Bull Racing decided to re-upgrade the side pontoons on the RB19s of Max Verstappen and Sergio Pérez.
The upgraded side pontoons that have appeared on Red Bull Racing cars in Hungary, the team assures, only help to improve the efficiency of the cooling system on the track, where average speeds are relatively low.
The fact that the novelties allow at the same time to improve the operation of the aerodynamic body kit as a whole and, apparently, also to reduce drag, are only “side effects”, nothing more than a consequence. Although there is no doubt that Red Bull is well aware that some advantage is being gained here.
There is an obvious reason why the Milton Keynes team decided to invest in modernizing the side pontoons. The provisions of the regulations, which refer to the limitations of aerodynamic studies, include a clause that allows them to be conducted if “tests in a wind tunnel are solely aimed at completing the systems for removing heat from the power plant and delivering heat to the air stream.”
This means that you can solve the problem of optimizing the airflow passing through the side pontoons. Similar exceptions allow refinement of braking systems.
All of this is governed by the regulations and Red Bull is acting wisely by taking this opportunity. These approaches are at the heart of success in Formula 1…
I don’t expect the reconfigured side pontoons to provide a significant speed boost at the Hungaroring, but on faster circuits like Spa, Red Bull will be able to optimize aerodynamic performance to match the less aggressive front wing angles of attack.
But overall I would say that by making developments like this the team is investing in the future rather than expecting a return for this particular weekend. Moreover, it is possible that it was these novelties that caused Max Verstappen some problems in yesterday’s qualifying, after which he complained about an unstable balance.
Source: F1 News
I am Christopher Clyde, an experienced journalist and content writer with a passion for sports. I have been writing about Formula 1 news for the past five years and am currently employed as an author at athletistic.com, one of the top sports websites in the US.
