Red Bull RB18

[godlameroso]

https://twitter.com/NicolasF1i
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FPkjwT-XoAI ... me=900x900

Check the curl on the third strake on the right hand side. It's not just a flat strake. Interesting that it looks like it curls towards the centre of the chassis.

Separating the high speed low pressure air from the stagnant high pressure air, that piles up on the outboard fences. The outermost one that merges with the outboard fence seem to be converging into a duct that feeds into the trailing edge of the second strake.

[Stu]

There is an awful lot going on at the front of the floor, very broad top section (fairly uniform in height); then starting at the outside there is the pair of strakes that has attracted all of the attention with the next one in seeming to be trying to influence the same section of floor. The furthest inboard strake is much longer and does not have a sharp edge at the bottom, but a very large curl (is this to contain and boost a vortex inside the tunnel?). On the chassis side of the centre section there are a couple of interesting looking details (almost ramps built out from the sides of the tunnel).

[godlameroso]

There is an awful lot going on at the front of the floor, very broad top section (fairly uniform in height); then starting at the outside there is the pair of strakes with two further (longer) strakes neither of which has a sharp edge at the bottom, the inner of the two has a very large curl (is this to contain and boost a vortex inside the tunnel?). On the side of the centre section there are a couple of interesting looking details (almost ramps built out from the sides of the tunnel).

You mean the plank area? It's hard to make out the details, there's no plan view, and always something obstructing the details.

The plank area is the closest part to the floor, wouldn't the air there be subject to the greatest ground effect?

The outward curve of the inner strake flares out near the trailing edge, I suppose they want to start the vortex as far back in the floor as possible so that it doesn't break down at the throat of the tunnels.

You can see that where the vortex forms would have a clean shot to the diffuser.

[Stu]

There is an awful lot going on at the front of the floor, very broad top section (fairly uniform in height); then starting at the outside there is the pair of strakes with two further (longer) strakes neither of which has a sharp edge at the bottom, the inner of the two has a very large curl (is this to contain and boost a vortex inside the tunnel?). On the side of the centre section there are a couple of interesting looking details (almost ramps built out from the sides of the tunnel).

You mean the plank area? It's hard to make out the details, there's no plan view, and always something obstructing the details.

The plank area is the closest part to the floor, wouldn't the air there be subject to the greatest ground effect?

The outward curve of the inner strake flares out near the trailing edge, I suppose they want to start the vortex as far back in the floor as possible so that it doesn't break down at the throat of the tunnels.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FOOBjISXMAE7AgW.jpg:large You can see that where the vortex forms would have a clean shot to the diffuser.

Just above the reference plane (that the plank is attached to, there are two small features in the tunnel wall that do not descend below the reference plane (almost looking like two wave crests).

[vorticism]

Just above the reference plane (that the plank is attached to, there are two small features in the tunnel wall that do not descend below the reference plane (almost looking like two wave crests).

You're right, I couldn't tell quite what they were before. Apparently there is some freedom in the rules for floor shape as it relates to minimum radius sizes. No holes or anything like that allowed, but RB are adding what look like over-expansion features. Interesting what it would look like from below. The RB Chrismas tree:

[PlatinumZealot]

It's clear to see that much more thought (and resource) went into designing the RedBull floor.

Those ribs near the plank look like an attempt to create not really a vortex but a bulk rotation sweeping across the span of the "ceiling" while the air immediately underneath the ribs sweeps upward toward the center of the diffuser...

[Stu]

…and the way that the strakes curve under at the base probably points to it operating differently at high/low ride heights.
As you say say PZ, a lot of thought has gone into the floor; that they are not shy of giving the world a good view of it is quite surprising. Other floors that have been seen look very vanilla….

[Vanja #66]

You're right, I couldn't tell quite what they were before. Apparently there is some freedom in the rules for floor shape as it relates to minimum radius sizes. No holes or anything like that allowed, but RB are adding what look like over-expansion features. Interesting what it would look like from below. The RB Chrismas tree:

https://i.imgur.com/P6JwD5g.jpg

Very nice illustration! I'm not sure we can get the full picture without better photos, but this looks very close. Maybe Red Bull played around with the number of vane cross sections so they could make those two vortex generators...

[yallkok]

https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-re ... o/9634833/

[Wouter]

In the AD (reliable newspaper) there is an article about the RB18. Verstappen's car freed from ballast: "

"I have heard from a very reliable source that they have had a good solved 75 percent of the problem," he [Tom Coronel] enthuses.
“About seven kilos have been removed from the car. I understand that they have made the floor lighter and have been able to lighten many more components a bit.”

In the article it is assumed that this will already be in Melbourne (7kg less),
but Helmut Marko talked about Imola earlier.

https://www.ad.nl/formule-1/auto-van-ve ... ~a4e53f0c/

[SiLo]

Just above the reference plane (that the plank is attached to, there are two small features in the tunnel wall that do not descend below the reference plane (almost looking like two wave crests).

You're right, I couldn't tell quite what they were before. Apparently there is some freedom in the rules for floor shape as it relates to minimum radius sizes. No holes or anything like that allowed, but RB are adding what look like over-expansion features. Interesting what it would look like from below. The RB Chrismas tree:

https://i.imgur.com/P6JwD5g.jpg

I think the spiky Xmas tree bits you have in the middle are actually a lot less than that, and it might just be one, but its really hard to see from that picture.

[bonjon1979]

There is an awful lot going on at the front of the floor, very broad top section (fairly uniform in height); then starting at the outside there is the pair of strakes with two further (longer) strakes neither of which has a sharp edge at the bottom, the inner of the two has a very large curl (is this to contain and boost a vortex inside the tunnel?). On the side of the centre section there are a couple of interesting looking details (almost ramps built out from the sides of the tunnel).

You mean the plank area? It's hard to make out the details, there's no plan view, and always something obstructing the details.

The plank area is the closest part to the floor, wouldn't the air there be subject to the greatest ground effect?

The outward curve of the inner strake flares out near the trailing edge, I suppose they want to start the vortex as far back in the floor as possible so that it doesn't break down at the throat of the tunnels.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FOOBjISXMAE7AgW.jpg:large You can see that where the vortex forms would have a clean shot to the diffuser.

Cor, what a great photo for all the other teams! They must be all poring over it, possibly even more than we all are!

[yallkok]

For those who haven't seen it yet

[gandharva]

Could this (red circles) be holes and the plank itself is hollow? Or is this not allowed?
Green area is also very interesting, but I have no idea what's going on there...

[Just_a_fan]

Could this (red circles) be holes and the plank itself is hollow? Or is this not allowed?
Green area is also very interesting, but I have no idea what's going on there...
https://i.imgur.com/80CogyV.jpeg

Holes not allowed in the floor or the junction between reference and step planes anymore. The holes in the plank are required by the rules, I think, to allow measuring the thickness in specified locations.