Red Bull RB22

A place to discuss the characteristics of the cars in Formula One, both current as well as historical. Laptimes, driver worshipping and team chatter do not belong here.
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venkyhere
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Joined: 10 Feb 2024, 06:17

Re: Red Bull RB22

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As a result of making a complete U-turn on the 'how-to-handle front tyre wake' strategy they started off with ; now the diffuser hole gets cleaner straighter re-energizer air from the waterslide, instead of curved entry from the 'outer reaches' of the top of the floor.

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I am not competent enough to understand how different the effect of this is going to be when the car is in yaw (in the corners) where the diffuser hole has to work effectively ; but from the way the car has run on the first two days in Miami, the rear is definitely more stable compared to previous 3 weekends.
Still wondering how the 'triangular wall' towards the rear of the sidepod is within legal limits of the 'min. curvature' requirements for the sidepod.

Rikhart
Rikhart
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Joined: 10 Feb 2009, 20:21

Re: Red Bull RB22

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bananapeel23 wrote:
02 May 2026, 22:28
Rikhart wrote:
02 May 2026, 19:22
Honestly, this macarena looks better than the Ferrari one, but Alpine's is just so much more elegant and simple than both.
This one is likely to have more severe issues with indeced drag from tip vortices, since the wing elements sit so far behind the endplates.

The Ferrari wing doesn’t have this issue. It also doesn’t need a DRS pod, which leads to less drag.

The Alpine wing looks amazing, but is supposedly more draggy than even a conventional DRS opening. A Macarena is a much more aerodynamically efficient design.
I am by no means an aerodynamicist, but I can't understand how stacking both wings one in front of the other in the air path, is worse than having two fully exposed wings!

Badger
Badger
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Joined: 22 Sep 2025, 17:00

Re: Red Bull RB22

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Rikhart wrote:
03 May 2026, 11:36
bananapeel23 wrote:
02 May 2026, 22:28
Rikhart wrote:
02 May 2026, 19:22
Honestly, this macarena looks better than the Ferrari one, but Alpine's is just so much more elegant and simple than both.
This one is likely to have more severe issues with indeced drag from tip vortices, since the wing elements sit so far behind the endplates.

The Ferrari wing doesn’t have this issue. It also doesn’t need a DRS pod, which leads to less drag.

The Alpine wing looks amazing, but is supposedly more draggy than even a conventional DRS opening. A Macarena is a much more aerodynamically efficient design.
I am by no means an aerodynamicist, but I can't understand how stacking both wings one in front of the other in the air path, is worse than having two fully exposed wings!
Well the proof is in the pudding. Here's the Alpine with the supposedly more powerful Mercedes engine, and a brand new unit at that, versus Verstappen with an old PU and the new wing. Their straight line performance is basically identical across the full lap, only some minor deployment differences at start and end of the lap. The RB has less drag.
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Rikhart
Rikhart
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Joined: 10 Feb 2009, 20:21

Re: Red Bull RB22

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Badger wrote:
03 May 2026, 12:02
Rikhart wrote:
03 May 2026, 11:36
bananapeel23 wrote:
02 May 2026, 22:28


This one is likely to have more severe issues with indeced drag from tip vortices, since the wing elements sit so far behind the endplates.

The Ferrari wing doesn’t have this issue. It also doesn’t need a DRS pod, which leads to less drag.

The Alpine wing looks amazing, but is supposedly more draggy than even a conventional DRS opening. A Macarena is a much more aerodynamically efficient design.
I am by no means an aerodynamicist, but I can't understand how stacking both wings one in front of the other in the air path, is worse than having two fully exposed wings!
Well the proof is in the pudding. Here's the Alpine with the supposedly more powerful Mercedes engine, and a brand new unit at that, versus Verstappen with an old PU and the new wing. Their straight line performance is basically identical across the full lap, only some minor deployment differences at start and end of the lap. The RB has less drag.
https://i.postimg.cc/m2L7dwFT/speed(4).png
https://i.postimg.cc/bNmk4tQ6/delta(2).png
Well the cars are completely different, drag can come from other places than the wings (even setup!), not a valid comparison I am afraid.

Badger
Badger
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Joined: 22 Sep 2025, 17:00

Re: Red Bull RB22

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Rikhart wrote:
03 May 2026, 12:07
Badger wrote:
03 May 2026, 12:02
Rikhart wrote:
03 May 2026, 11:36


I am by no means an aerodynamicist, but I can't understand how stacking both wings one in front of the other in the air path, is worse than having two fully exposed wings!
Well the proof is in the pudding. Here's the Alpine with the supposedly more powerful Mercedes engine, and a brand new unit at that, versus Verstappen with an old PU and the new wing. Their straight line performance is basically identical across the full lap, only some minor deployment differences at start and end of the lap. The RB has less drag.
https://i.postimg.cc/m2L7dwFT/speed(4).png
https://i.postimg.cc/bNmk4tQ6/delta(2).png
Well the cars are completely different, drag can come from other places than the wings (even setup!), not a valid comparison I am afraid.
We have references from previous weekends where the Alpine was better on the straights, Japan being the obvious.

The Alpine wing is not a Macarena wing, it's a conventional wing where the second and third elements just sit slightly closer to the mainplane in active mode. Image

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organic
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Joined: 08 Jan 2022, 02:24
Location: Cambridge, UK

Re: Red Bull RB22

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Owen.C93 wrote:
01 May 2026, 13:14
Valeo wrote:
01 May 2026, 11:42
Looks like it gets quite sharp as the sidepod reaches the floor, forming a strake.

I would have thought that would violate the minimum radius rules, but maybe it’s relaxed lower down.
Me too..

ClassicLivery
ClassicLivery
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Joined: 27 Jan 2026, 17:21

Re: Red Bull RB22

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I think the edge is not as sharp as it looks like. Maybe the difference in gloss paint en raw carbon is playing tricks…

Brahmal
Brahmal
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Joined: 19 Oct 2024, 05:07

Re: Red Bull RB22

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AR3-GP
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Joined: 06 Jul 2021, 01:22

Re: Red Bull RB22

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Brahmal wrote:
03 May 2026, 15:28
Image
These are excellent pictures. The updates are extensive. I thought what Ferrar/Merc did with the brake duct inlet was quite clever because it captures the separated airflow coming off the leading edge of the tire when the wheels are turned. Red Bull have followed suit.
Beware of T-Rex

Brahmal
Brahmal
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Re: Red Bull RB22

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AR3-GP wrote:
03 May 2026, 15:39
These are excellent pictures. Where did the front brake duct inlet go?
It's behind that tire shield, in between. During the sessions you can see the new nozzle for their brake-cooling leaf-blowers fit entirely inside that slot.

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AR3-GP
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Re: Red Bull RB22

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Brahmal wrote:
03 May 2026, 15:42
AR3-GP wrote:
03 May 2026, 15:39
These are excellent pictures. Where did the front brake duct inlet go?
It's behind that tire shield, in between. During the sessions you can see the new nozzle for their brake-cooling leaf-blowers fit entirely inside that slot.
That makes sense. I noticed the yellow lines afterwards.
Beware of T-Rex

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AR3-GP
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Joined: 06 Jul 2021, 01:22

Re: Red Bull RB22

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A cape of some kind near the floor:

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loekf2
loekf2
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Joined: 17 Sep 2018, 16:51

Re: Red Bull RB22

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There was appearently also an issue with the steering mechanism they managed to fix during the break:

https://nl.motorsport.com/f1/news/max-v ... /10817649/

(dutch)

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AR3-GP
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Joined: 06 Jul 2021, 01:22

Re: Red Bull RB22

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This is B-spec car.
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Brahmal
Brahmal
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Re: Red Bull RB22

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AR3-GP wrote:
03 May 2026, 15:57
This is B-spec car.
There's some very strange sculpting at the base of that t-tray column, almost as if it's been crushed.