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.
If you ring the most recent RB team published image through multiple contrast/exposure alterations, then it looks like the letter box intake is still in the same place and shape.
Just that the "trailing" edge of 19 underbite has been pushed up to top of intake form.
There's a continuous red stripe along tub wall, suggesting that the wall is flat. The outermost lower curved profile of pod coming up from floor area still seems to follow same as 19, and leading up to letter box location. Notably, the flow route to the radiator core location appears the same as before, maybe conforming to letterbox orientation, just tucked up underneath that, now overbite, lip that's been lifted to top of monocoque.
Perhaps the research as they raised the underbite lip, then the pressure drop into letter box drove an enquiry into that high pressure build site just under the 19 sidepod, the area that most teams can see, Ferrari responded to with S and Alpine are also chasing.
By flipping the under to over bite it makes valid route to accommodate both above and below pressure shift into one solution. In other words, not needing a separate "duct" to alleviate the high pressure site and have some extraneous "cooling" function to satisfy the rules.
If the radiator cores were to change to a higher airflow, now incoming at higher pressure too, then put realitively huge and low pressure restriction "cannon" outflow facility.....then the whole cooling duct works in bypass to external body flow...re-entering the vehicle outflow right under the rear wing.
This could also obviate using gills along mid part of top surfaces to increase flow at hot circuit more efficiently.
Perhaps the research as they raised the underbite lip, then the pressure drop into letter box drove an enquiry into that high pressure build site just under the 19 sidepod, the area that most teams can see, Ferrari responded to with S and Alpine are also chasing.
By flipping the under to over bite it makes valid route to accommodate both above and below pressure shift into one solution. In other words, not needing a separate "duct" to alleviate the high pressure site and have some extraneous "cooling" function to satisfy the rules.
If the radiator cores were to change to a higher airflow, now incoming at higher pressure too, then put realitively huge and low pressure restriction "cannon" outflow facility.....then the whole cooling duct works in bypass to external body flow...re-entering the vehicle outflow right under the rear wing.
This could also obviate using gills along mid part of top surfaces to increase flow at hot circuit more efficiently.
Interesting idea. With purposely large sidepods in this aero formula you might consider it. Further:
Main radiator tub and fin dimensions are regulated (to what degree I can't recall)
Microtube type rads are effectively ruled out for the main rads iirc
