F1 News
Red Bull Racing and Honda are making important steps with the RB16-B for 2021
The 2021 Formula 1 season is a gap year. The new rules regulations were due to come into effect, but this was delayed as a result of the coronavirus crisis. The majority of the 2020 car rolls forward to 2021. Red Bull Racing and Honda have opted for a clear direction.
The Formula 1 season will start again in March and although it is not clear whether we will start in Australia or Bahrain, the teams will at least be at the start with new cars. The cars don't change much, but a few things are going to be altered.
La Gazzetta Dello Sport have dived into this new design and revealed some important facts. Adrian Newey does not call his latest creation the RB16-B for nothing, because of course, many parts of the current RB16 must remain the same in 2021. In 2020, Red Bull surprised with the narrow nose, which didn't lead to immediate success.
The Red Bull Racing philosophy
Both Red Bull drivers had difficulty with the new car and needed a lot of time to get the balance right at the rear. According to Helmut Marko, the team had made a mistake with data from the wind tunnel and the front of the car must first be understood before the rest could work.
However, the narrower design was not immediately written off. It will soon have to go together with the "high rake concept" that has been on display at Red Bull Racing for years, but that will need time. Red Bull came up with a new rear suspension at the end of the season to make it easier to adjust the height at the rear of the car, but also a new design for the gearbox so that there is more room for the diffuser to get the air moving better.
Honda go the extra mile
Also, according to La Gazzetta Dello Sport, Newey is opting to generate more downforce at the rear of the car and opt for a single attachment on the rear wing, where in recent years a double attachment was chosen. This would reduce drag and the air is cleaner towards the rear wing so that this air can also be used better.
In addition to all of Newey's ideas, there will also be a brand new engine from Honda, which, despite their announced departure at the end of 2021, have not saved a cent on the latest engine. According to the major Italian newspaper, work has been done on the combustion engine to improve "thermodynamic efficiency". A lot of attention would also have been paid to the electrical component in the engine, which Max Verstappen has had many problems with this season.
This article was written and originally published by Tim on the Dutch edition of GPblog.com.