Exclusive: Major Car Upgrades Unveiled at F1 British GP – Red Bull’s Advanced Floor Design and Mercedes’ Aerodynamic Tweaks

F1 Silverstone insider notices new Red Bull floor and Mercedes wings

Lewis Larkam, our correspondent at the F1 British Grand Prix paddock, observes significant car enhancements

Red Bull

Floor Body Performance – Flow Conditioning. The surface above and behind the lower SIS tube has been slightly reshaped. This adjustment aims to enhance the upper floor surface by leveraging research and full-scale comparisons, ultimately increasing the energy and pressure directed to the floor edge wing.

The RB20 has received modifications to its floor body and floor edge for the British Grand Prix #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/hT3Sm1bgVE — Lewis Larkam (@Lewis_Larkam) July 5, 2024

The RB20 has received modifications to its floor body and floor edge for the British Grand Prix #F1 #BritishGP pic.twitter.com/hT3Sm1bgVE

Edge Wing Performance – Local Load. The edge wing has undergone slight reshaping with associated detailing. Due to increased pressure upstream, the edge wing design has been subtly modified to incorporate more curvature, thereby increasing the load while maintaining the stability of the airflow.

Mercedes

Front Wing – Adapted for Specific Tracks – Balance Range. Adjusted the front wing flap by trimming it. The trimmed or smaller chord flap decreases the front wing's load, allowing for a balanced car setup when a low downforce rear wing is selected.

Rear Wing – Adapted for specific tracks – Drag Range. Modified flap design. Reducing the curvature of the flap in certain areas decreases the load on the flap and relieves the main plane, leading to less downforce and reduced drag on the upper wing.

Front Edge – Designed for Specific Circuits – Cooling Capacity. The front brake duct has a smaller inlet and outlet. By decreasing the size of these openings, the airflow that cools the brake disc and caliper is reduced.

Rear Corner – Performance – Local Load. Adjusting the position of the upper lip. Enhancing the alignment of the upper edge of the caketin with the local airflow optimizes flow attachment across various conditions, leading to an increase in local load.

McLaren

Rear Wing – Tailored for the Circuit – Low Drag Configuration

For upcoming circuits that require higher speeds, McLaren is introducing a new Rear Wing designed to generate less downforce. This change aims to minimize drag effectively.

High Load Beam Wing Designed for Specific Circuits with High Drag Range

A high load Beam Wing has been developed to enhance the performance of the newly introduced low downforce wing. This design aims to expand the wing's operational range by efficiently balancing downforce and drag.

Beam Wing – Tailored for specific circuits – Mid-load drag range Beam Wing A mid-load Beam Wing has been created with the aim of broadening the operating range of the newly introduced low downforce wing, effectively balancing downforce and drag.

Circuit-specific Beam Wing – Low Drag Range Low Load Beam Wing To broaden the functionality of the newly implemented low downforce wing, a low load Beam Wing has been developed. This design aims to balance downforce and drag effectively.

Cooling System/Engine Cover – Tailored to Circuit – Expanded Cooling Range Additional Vent The updated bodywork incorporates an extra vent for cooling, which boosts the mass flow of cooling air. This enhancement leads to a higher total cooling capacity and improved efficiency.

Aston Martin

Front Wing – Efficiency – Regional Load Adjusted the twist allocation of the wing components, altering the front-facing shape. Modifying the twist allocation of the wing alters the load distribution along the span, enhancing the overall efficiency of the wing and its interactions with the flow behind it.

Rear Corner – Performance – Local Load

The tiny component located on the outer side of the lip has been substituted with a dual configuration. This dual setup enhances alignment and downwash, leading to better management of the wheel's wake and thereby increasing the load on the nearby structures.

RB

Halo – Efficiency – Airflow Management. In specific setups, the small wing on the top of the Halo will be taken off. The Halo's impact on airflow affects areas behind it, like the rear wing, making its removal pertinent in particular situations.

Sauber

Floor Fences – Performance – Airflow Management A new, optional configuration of the floor fences. This variant enhances the air movement in a vital section of the vehicle, boosting the overall airflow and aerodynamic efficiency of the system.

Haas

Floor Structure – Efficiency – Local Load Adjustment: The new floor design includes modifications aimed at enhancing performance. The varied expansion improves the suction effect on the floor, which in turn increases the mass flow beneath it. This results in a greater overall load being generated by the floor.

Ground Barriers – Performance – Flow Adjustment

The alignment of the ground barriers needs to be adjusted to fit the new floor design. The updated floor geometry necessitates a different positioning of the front ground barriers since the direction of incoming flow alters with the floor's expansion.

Edge of the Floor – Efficiency – Local Load The updated floor structure necessitated changes to the floor edge. Due to its distinct expansion properties, the new floor structure required adjustments to the floor edge wing. This adaptation makes the floor edge wing more consistent with the floor structure, enabling it to channel more airflow and thus enhancing the local load.

Sidepod Inlet – Performance – Flow Conditioning

The inlet design has been revised to feature a longer, elevated lip. This updated shape helps to streamline airflow to the car's rear, enhancing overall performance.

Coke/Engine Cover – Performance – Flow Optimization. The revised design of the Inlet necessitated a slight modification of the sidepod. The altered Inlet shape extended further towards the rear of the sidepod, prompting an update to this section. Additionally, the redesigned sidepod now includes top cooling vents.

Mirror Support – Efficiency – Airflow Management. A fresh design for the Sidepod Inlet necessitated a redesigned rear support for the mirror. This new rear support has been repositioned and refined to manage the airflow over the top of the sidepod, aiming to enhance the rear-end load of the vehicle.

Rear Section – Performance – Localized Load Various locations and configurations of the lower quadruplane (FIA design) The new floor was necessary to enhance the airflow around the rear tires too.

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