Red Bull tries to recover with the developments, aimed at correcting the flaws of the RB22 that emerged in the first races. The Milton Keynes team has produced several novelties, mainly concerning the bodywork and the floor. At the rear, instead, the inverted mobile wing and the blocked exhaust make their appearance, both solutions inspired by Ferrari. After the first laps on track, Max Verstappen expressed a positive opinion on the changes, but the road is still long.
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How the RB22 changes
The first novelty on the Red Bull is the appearance of a keel under the chassis, corresponding to the leading edge of the central flat floor, an element present on practically all cars. Moving to the sides, the team also modified the inlet section of the floor channels. In particular, the absence of the second protrusion along the upper surface is noticeable, now incorporated inside the bodywork. The sidepod, in fact, becomes wider, acting as a shield against the turbulence of the front wheels, pushing it outward.
The same evolution is noticeable at the rear, where Red Bull has given up tapering the coke-bottle area and drawing the external flows inward. Now the terminal part of the sidepods remains wide up to the rear wheels, while the area beside the gearbox collects the flows channeled from the upper part of the bodywork. Red Bull, in fact, which had already moved towards a “dropped belly” setup with the Suzuka developments, has hollowed the ramps, as was customary during the ground effect era. In this way, the sidepod now has an external rise that acts as a physical barrier against turbulence. Just behind the cockpit, there is also the opening of two large cooling vents, necessary to cope with Miami’s scorching temperatures. Finally, the addition of diveplanes on the outside of the front wing is noted, designed to mitigate the turbulent wake of the front wheels.
Ferrari solutions
Also catching attention on the updated RB22 are the solutions taken from the Ferrari SF-26, albeit reinterpreted. The exhaust outlet has been lowered, but above all a vertical element appears that partially blocks the exit section. Red Bull did not have the time and/or room to install a real flap, which is present on the Ferrari, confirming however that the usefulness of the solution lies in the partial closure of the exhaust. Understanding exactly how it works remains a difficult task, so much so that even Rob Marshall, McLaren’s Chief Designer, reiterated that understanding what others are trying to do is never easy.
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Also appreciated from the rear view is the new shape of the engine cover, with a more flattened tail outlet. The team has also tweaked the suspension arm fairings, as well as the aerodynamic elements mounted on the wheel groups. Even more intriguing, however, is the new rear wing, developed to invert the mobile profiles, exactly like Ferrari’s Macarena, but with the necessary differences.
Red Bull, for example, does not use a lateral actuator, maintaining the central structure, modified compared to the beginning of the year. Its presence forces the profiles to rotate backward, moving in the opposite direction to those of Ferrari. Finally, on the RB22 the opening of the mobile elements reaches an even greater distance than the main profile, benefiting the reduction of aerodynamic drag.
A step forward
Verstappen described the updates as “a very positive step forward” compared to March, when the Dutchman described the car as undrivable, afflicted by obvious balance problems. The times in the first sector of Miami confirm that Red Bull still has aerodynamic load to recover, while the straight-line performance is respectable. The road seems to be the right one, but it will be important to continue on it to return to the top.
