Given that the Renault hybrid engine is still not quite up there with the Mercedes and Ferrari powertrains, Red Bull’s qualifying form was, by their own admission, a nice surprise. The RB13 chassis has been picking up pace since Spain and the low drag aero philosophy is starting to look promising.
Although Renault could not bring their upgrade to Canada, new aerodynamic parts that were scheduled for the event were tested in practice but not all of them made it to qualifying and the race.
A subtle edit to the front-wing footplate saw the leading edge of the arch raised even higher [1], possibly suggesting that the team are contemplating raising the rake angle of the car further as this area is prone to striking the ground as the wing loads up.
Red Bull also trialled a trio of vortex generators placed on the sidepod shoulder [2] and a small horizontal blade attached to the cockpit [3], replacing the ‘sidepod wing’ they have been running all season and isolating the vertical flow conditioners flanking the car. This setup is almost identical to that used by McLaren, designed to reduce boundary layer growth over the sidepod and redirect airflow towards the floor.
The curious triangular cutout in the floor by the sidepod shoulder was filled in and replaced with a longitudinal slot and a lipped periphery [4], a common design up and down the field. The slots in the floor ahead of the rear-tyre were also reorientated. Both of these revisions were carried through to Saturday and Sunday.
