The ever-improving RB13 was dressed with some detailed and more visual aerodynamics tweaks ahead of the summer break, the most notable being a new mirror pod design.
2017 seems to be the year that teams are getting more adventurous with the pod’s shape and how it can be utilised for other purposes.
Mercedes and Williams were the first to enlarge the pod to create room for infrared sensors that monitor the front tyres. The extra bulk means that its entire design must be reworked to keep it streamlined, so the mirrors themselves tend to be recessed for the driver’s benefit.
Red Bull have followed F1’s current frontrunners by bending the mirror mounts at ninety degrees but have also propped them up with additional supports that branch upwards from the sidepod. This has allowed them to reposition the mirror’s wake with slender bodywork, shedding a few grams and reducing drag in the process.
Other changes to the car include smaller sidepod inlets and a trio of Mercedes-esque ‘teeth’ protruding from the leading edge of the floor behind the bargeboard.
This area forms a crucial part of the underfloor aerodynamics as the air forced under the car is accelerated to produce downforce. This low pressure region must be managed with care as the air snakes its way back to the diffuser, and the teeth guide the flow to where it needs to be downstream.
Finally, Red Bull have been forced to add a brace to the front-wing as rivals have recently criticised its apparent flexing at high speeds. The strut connects the endplate to the wing’s upper flaps.
However, while the allegations may be true, I believe the visual effect of such bending has been magnified by the front wing endplate’s design – as its footplate is significantly raised at its leading edge – and the car’s huge rake angle.
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