Red Bull RB5

[i70q7m7ghw]

This is no-keel is it not? There's a small sort of lump where the front of the lower arm meets the nose but that can't count as a keel surely? it looks misleading because the underside of the nose is quite round...

[bgroovers]

Looks to me as though the mirrors are not mounted on the side pod deflectors but off the leading edge of the side pod. Surprising how much wider the deflectors are than the actual side pods. RBR must be doing a great job of cooling there renualt engine.
Best looking car of 09 so far and to my eyes the most aero advanced too. Incredible front wing. Makes BMWs look like its from chump car!

[slimjim8201]

Two totally different approaches to the rear suspension...

[Spencifer_Murphy]

I love this car, aesthetically speaking I still prefer the Mclaren (i feel that when viewd from the side those humps on the nose make this car look horrible towards the front - and the nose is too high for my liking)

But I am massively impressed, front wing endplartes, huge rear wing endplates, incradibly tightly packaged rear end (due to the pullrod suspesion in part I guess) have me really interested.

What really strikes me though are two things:
How the lower front wishbones are attached to the tub - like an old 90's car...technically its a zero keel, but mounted to the centre of a gently curving underside.
and
The "sharkfin" on the engine cover...reminds me of the engine cover/airbox on the Williams FW14B - that sot of kink I mean.

I also find the rear end interesting 'cause most teams have undercut almost the whole side pod, right the way to the back - as stated by somebody else before, the Renault is a good example of this - this car however attempts to simply package the whole lot low&small...its an interesting take on the new regs. and I cannot wait to see how it does.

I do have one or two reliability worries though...I could just be being skeptical but we know the MP4-24 SHOULD get away with tiny cooling apperatures (look at the car last year) but the last few years Newey has demonstrated an ability to make a quick - but FRAGILE - car. I said a while ago that I feel he may search for such perfection in aero design (driven by a constant desire to improve, and this coupled with his own massive achievements in this areas) that he sometimes over does it, sometimes not allowing enough margin for mechanical/cooling requirements.

An example here would be the rear pullrod suspension. Somebody else has noticed the exhuast is is close proximity to the upper wishbone, and could it be that which the pullrod appears to be an aerodynamicaly favourable solution, could it offer less mechanical benifit? I don't know, I'm no expert, and I'm not trying to say "This car has the following flaws", I'm simply pondering some possibilities.

I hope it shifts like s**t off a shovel tho!

[LoudHoward]

Well thats what Willis is there for. The RB4 was aerodynamically great and reliable, they work well together, their strengths really seem to complement.

Mechanical grip is the big thing and will make or break this car.

[Steven]

Apart from being able to locate the suspension components low down, such pull rod design is also intersting for cooling. Keep in mind that the only apertures allowed in the sidepod are for the exhausts and for suspension. Since the pull rod is at a very interesting position in the sidepod, the aperture may well help cooling by quite a bit, allowing how air to escape.

[greenpower dude reloaded]

Sorry to detract from suspension but does anybody have any ideas what this little teardrop shaped thing is under the nose??

[imightbewrong]

(same pic in high def)

some great high-defs:
http://premium.f1-live.com/f1/photos-hi ... m-redbull/

[djos]

The huge Beam wing (as it seems to be called) seems to act as a 2nd diffuser/ 3rd rear wing element and due to the tiny rear end on the RB5 will imo almost certainly have allowed the RB5 to regain almost all of the downforce "lost" from the narrower rear wing.

[smirkoff]

It could work in the track or not, but I think it's brilliant design, from the very delicate front wing to the rear endplates, the "retro" references (FW13 front bumps, P34-BT46-JS19 rear endplates), the lateral thinking applied to the rear suspension, taking back a pullrod geometry, not seen at the rear since the 80's I think (at the front had the Arrows 2000 and Minardi 2001 trials).

Let's see how this tight packaging will be adapted for the Ferrari engine in the STR car, since its cooling needs could be quite higher...

[Scotracer]

Sorry to detract from suspension but does anybody have any ideas what this little teardrop shaped thing is under the nose??

It's a sensor array for things such as slip angles and road speed.

[djos]

(same pic in high def)

some great high-defs:
http://premium.f1-live.com/f1/photos-hi ... m-redbull/

legend, thank you! =D>

[Fil]

front wing is stunning.

compared to others, there is so much less adjustment allowed (both mechanically by driver and manually by team) on this wing.
so much more of the wing seems to be designed for flow conditioning over the front wheels than specifically for downforce.

[Moanlower]

Sorry to detract from suspension but does anybody have any ideas what this little teardrop shaped thing is under the nose??

Where did you start reading this post ?

Has anyone else noticed the pod banging below the tub between the wheels? Im guessing this is for ballast as i can see no other purpose for it...

It is ride-height laser sensor. Ferrari used it for years and many others used too. It is the lack of turning vanes below the nose cone that exposed it.

[djos]

from what i've been reading, this panel that forms part of the "tail" can be removed for extra cooling when needed: