Red Bull RB8 Renault

[shelly]

@raymond: about the slit in the above picture I do not know if we are seeing a slit on the airbox or if it is just the engine cover bending and not being in line with the adjacent bodywork.
High pressure on the inside in that zone maybe?

about the nose inlet: if you give the flow a separate stagnation point the boundary layer thickess starts from zero at stagnation. So with a separate leding edge above the inlet you have a new boundary layer starting form there, and not a boundary layer which has suffered some loss because tha flow has decelerated on a ferreari like bump and then accelerated again.
The advantage of a clean boundary layer on top of the nose should be minimal, but in the end why not? It comes for free.

By removing the cooling inelt in the nose you could also get a minimal increase in flow under the nose: almost negligible, but again, why not?

[hardingfv32]

As I said earlier, I believe Red Bull are using the exhaust collector that Ferrari used last season & was spotted at the Young Driver test in Abu Dhabi. Have a look and tell me what you think.

1) What purpose would the exhaust branch serve? IF it improves the exhaust system flow, then why was it not done many years ago? Last year it was claimed that the exhaust branch boosted the blowing activities. That would not be valid this year.

2) Why wouldn't the body shape just be for internal cooling flows?

Thanks for the photos.

Brian

[Owen.C93]

[Crucial_Xtreme]

via FA

[Gusgus]

Is that blue flow vis ? If so is it the first time they use it ?

[Owen.C93]

Is that blue flow vis ? If so is it the first time they use it ?

Yes. This year maybe, but ever no.

[raymondu999]

Why bother with colored flow-vis? Isn't there the stuff that is invisible until shone on by black light?

[Robbobnob]

maybe they feel the black light system isnt as reliable or its patented by a different team?

[Forza]

Because RB or any other team can probably tell you what others are doing even if they only get images shownig basic trace that flow vis leaves (without looking under the blacklight) on the car. This way is less noticable.

[Schulteiss]

Why bother with colored flow-vis? Isn't there the stuff that is invisible until shone on by black light?

yeah. This is it. I guess its not totally heat-resistant.

[gold333]

Newey's genuis makes you go "of course!, why didn't I think of that".
That's what a genius is.

A large amount of an F1 car's drag is caused by sidepods. But the regulations do not force a car to have sidepods. The engine/kers/etc. must be cooled though.

The 2012 regulation DO force the use of the speedhump nose though.

What does Newey say? : Fine, then I'll use it as an air inlet as well and just make the sidepods smaller.

[raymondu999]

That's how I always viewed F1 aero design - you've got a minimal drag level which is inevitable. It's about making sure that as much as possible of that drag goes into making downforce as well.

[beelsebob]

The 2012 regulation DO force the use of the speedhump nose though.

Which is of course why McLaren have one...

[amouzouris]

Newey's genuis makes you go "of course!, why didn't I think of that".
That's what a genius is.

A large amount of an F1 car's drag is caused by sidepods. But the regulations do not force a car to have sidepods. The engine/kers/etc. must be cooled though.

The 2012 regulation DO force the use of the speedhump nose though.

What does Newey say? : Fine, then I'll use it as an air inlet as well and just make the sidepods smaller.

i dont think that air entering a tiny slit and having to travel a meter in small tubes experiencing a lot of friction on the walls before it reaches any radiators would be any good at cooling...

[raymondu999]

Whoa whoa. Let's relax here. The regs don't force the hump; in which beelsebob is right; but I think the point gold333 is making is that if the designer/TD has decided on the concept of maximum under nose airflow; then the hump is effectively forced upon them.