Technical - Red Bull's innovative suspensions

It's not just Mercedes that is pushing at the technical level: admittedly less spectacular in front of the camera, Red Bull's front suspension system has significant points of interest. Decryption with photos by Giorgio Piola and technical analysis by Matt Somerfield.
If attention has focused mainly on the Mercedes DAS system acting on the front axle, the Anglo-German team is not the only structure to try something different during the F1 tests this week in Barcelona.

Among rivals, Red Bull Racing has made a significant modification to its front suspension in an attempt to make up for the delay compared to Mercedes in slow corners. As Christian Horner, director of the Red Bull team told Motorsport.com: "The Mercedes was performing at low-speed last year and this is something we need to improve on. I think we have is making progress and of course, this is just the beginning of a process: the car will evolve from now on. "

The Red Bull presents many new ideas, including a hidden technical gem: the bold modification of its suspension, particularly hidden. Last year's car (RB15) presented a solution with triangular arms greater than several links that many thoughts had been ruled out when the RB16 was unveiled.

But a closer look at the RB16 in Barcelona (image above) revealed that Red Bull rather changed its concept by using the multi-arm of the lower triangle (1) with the rear arm-mounted lower (2) than the front arm (3).

In addition, the lower front arm also has a novelty in itself. Not only is it mounted very high on the chassis, which allows Red Bull to refine the bottom of the muzzle, but it is also a unique element that passes from one side to the other of the car, through one.

The designers also paid particular attention to the upper front triangle, which now has a "cricket bat" style at the fairing. This is an element that has been used in the rear of cars in the past: a "geometric anomaly" which is used for aerodynamic purposes. The advantage of this arrangement is that it makes it possible to reduce the weight, but also to force the flow of air towards the ground and the deflectors to improve the flow around the pontoons.

From front to back
Red Bull has also revised the design of its rear suspension for 2020 (image below), opting for a much higher vertical extension (3), while also raising the lower triangle (1) relative to the centerline of the wheel.

The lower triangle is thus aligned with the fairing of the drive shaft (2) so that they can work together to improve air circulation in the area. The main advantage of this system is to allow better passage of the airflow on the flat bottom, in the area of the "coca bottle".

The team also sought to maximize the performance of the aerodynamic elements on the entire brake packaging by completely revising their design. We thus find a new, clearer path to the lower jungle of carbon fins.