Red Bull RB5

[Shaddock]

Last years RB4 was the same. Tightly shrink wrapped bodywork over the engine and lower deck to help aero. First thing they did was take a grinder to the carbon fibre and cut chunks out of the sidepods because it overheated

Geoff Willis is an aero specialist as well as Newey, who was credited for Honda’s turn around into a race winning car. Maybe they need a structural engineer such Pat Symonds or Bob Bell from Renault to compliment the team and turn their aero genius designs into reality.

[xpensive]

For kilcoo and tarzoon;
Thanks guys, I guess I was just a little confused with semantics for a short while.
Anyway, the solution of deliberatly pointing the exhaust-gases almost directly at a load-carrying component is interesting to say the very least. But needless to say, there are surely plausible reasons for that practice as well as trust in the shrouding around said component.

[Callum]

It is true that these test times can not be completely compared, but remember, it only did 14 laps yesterday...think of the hundereds that the others have done (albeit in the wet) i think it shows how good it is out of the box.

GO RB5!

[djos]

RB5 has now completed 40 Laps and is looking good:

.1º 15 Sebastian Buemi Toro Rosso 00:01'20''054 42
.2º 9 Sebastien Vettel Red Bull 00:01'22''397 00:30'02''343 40
.3º 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 00:01'23''313 00:30'03''259 34
.4º 8 Nico Hulkenberg Williams 00:01'24''695 00:30'04''641 32
.5º 6 Nelson Piquet Jr Renault 00:01'29''066 00:30'09''012 05

Looks like yesterdays Gearbox Oil temp issue was but a minor glitch.

[i70q7m7ghw]

RB5 has now completed 40 Laps and is looking good:

.1º 15 Sebastian Buemi Toro Rosso 00:01'20''054 42
.2º 9 Sebastien Vettel Red Bull 00:01'22''397 00:30'02''343 40
.3º 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 00:01'23''313 00:30'03''259 34
.4º 8 Nico Hulkenberg Williams 00:01'24''695 00:30'04''641 32
.5º 6 Nelson Piquet Jr Renault 00:01'29''066 00:30'09''012 05

Looks like yesterdays Gearbox Oil temp issue was but a minor glitch.

You don't know how many individual runs they've done though. He might have done eight 5 lap stints and sat in the pit box cooling down between runs Unlikely, but still possible.

[djos]

RB5 has now completed 40 Laps and is looking good:

.1º 15 Sebastian Buemi Toro Rosso 00:01'20''054 42
.2º 9 Sebastien Vettel Red Bull 00:01'22''397 00:30'02''343 40
.3º 23 Heikki Kovalainen McLaren 00:01'23''313 00:30'03''259 34
.4º 8 Nico Hulkenberg Williams 00:01'24''695 00:30'04''641 32
.5º 6 Nelson Piquet Jr Renault 00:01'29''066 00:30'09''012 05

Looks like yesterdays Gearbox Oil temp issue was but a minor glitch.

You don't know how many individual runs they've done though. He might have done eight 5 lap stints and sat in the pit box cooling down between runs Unlikely, but still possible.

Well it's raining on and off so prolly less than 10 laps a piece:

Commentary from the track on right hand side - click "live":

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[timbo]

Commentary from the track on right hand side - click "live":

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Yeah! That's good!

Rubber Gloves at CHERRY

Introducing CHERRY has already been caused. Aan de veiligheid van het energie hergebruikende systeem wordt getwijfeld. The safety of the energy reuse systems is questioned. De monteurs krijgen in ieder geval extra bescherming. The engineers in each case additional protection. In Jerez dragen de monteurs van teams die met KERS testen allemaal grote rubberhandschoenen om te voorkomen dat ze een elektrische schok krijgen. In Jerez, the mechanics of teams in all major CHERRY testing rubber gloves to avoid an electric shock. Op de baan is het rustig, Nico Hulkenberg rondde net een stint van tien ronden af The job is easy, Nico Berg Hulk just completed a stint of ten rounds off

[Moanlower]

One question for the aero guys - both the McLaren and the Redbull look like they've made the least effort to move the weight of the car forwards, and both have gone for a wider front wing aimed at generating more down force with less air being deflected round the front wheels by the end plates.

Does this point to these teams running more front end down force to compensate for a more rearward weight distribution? As opposed to the teams that look like they've gone for as much weight at the front as physically possible focusing on mechanical grip and not looking like they have as much front end downforce.

If so would this give them the advantage of more traction (thanks to more weight at the back) with more grip at the front in medium and fast corners (thanks to the extra front end down force), at the expense of some mechanical grip at the front in slow corners and possibly being slower to heat the front tyres?

Interesting to see the compromises each team has chosen.

Thats exactly what I was thinking. I guess only time will tell who took the right direction.

[Moanlower]

True but you cant deny that it's a very good sign when out of the box your car beats all the others who had at least 1 extra week of testing under their belts by a whole second?

You suggesting that Renault are really seven seconds off the pace? For all you know they've been doing low fuel runs whereas others have been concentrating on long runs, or whatever. I'm sure the Redbull is quick, no doubt about it, but it's not going to decimate the field.

Well Renault seem to having taken over the "Flying Brick" label previously owned by Toyota so yeah, I reckon they are much slower but prolly only a couple of seconds.

Way too early to draw conclusions like that. The first place where times really can be compared will be at the quali of the first race. I'm sure Renault would take the name 'flying brick' with a smile if thats what it takes to achieve their goals and lets hope the RB5 won't be all show and no go when it matters.

[jddh1]

With the 2009 rules it is unlikely that we will see 1.5 seconds covering the whole field for ultimate pace; I suspect the spread could be as much as 5 seconds!

That might very well be the case early in the season, but I really think that by the last 6 races, the times will be tight again. Whomever wins early and remains competitive throughout the season will win the WDC.
(I will come back to this post at season's end. I am calling it right now.)

[xpensive]

Impressive future analysis there jddh1, perhaps you should try your talents at the stock market?

[Roger the knife]

One question for the aero guys - both the McLaren and the Redbull look like they've made the least effort to move the weight of the car forwards, and both have gone for a wider front wing aimed at generating more down force with less air being deflected round the front wheels by the end plates.

Does this point to these teams running more front end down force to compensate for a more rearward weight distribution? As opposed to the teams that look like they've gone for as much weight at the front as physically possible focusing on mechanical grip and not looking like they have as much front end downforce.

If so would this give them the advantage of more traction (thanks to more weight at the back) with more grip at the front in medium and fast corners (thanks to the extra front end down force), at the expense of some mechanical grip at the front in slow corners and possibly being slower to heat the front tyres?

Interesting to see the compromises each team has chosen.

Thats exactly what I was thinking. I guess only time will tell who took the right direction.

This comment makes me wondder about the different concepts. Surely a high degree of front downforce implies a high friont weight % to keep the static margin at an acceptable level, hence it would suggest McLaren and Red Bull already have a high % front weight.

Is traction more affected by set up with reagard to damping and springing and weight transfer, than static weight .

[Moanlower]

One question for the aero guys - both the McLaren and the Redbull look like they've made the least effort to move the weight of the car forwards, and both have gone for a wider front wing aimed at generating more down force with less air being deflected round the front wheels by the end plates.

Does this point to these teams running more front end down force to compensate for a more rearward weight distribution? As opposed to the teams that look like they've gone for as much weight at the front as physically possible focusing on mechanical grip and not looking like they have as much front end downforce.

If so would this give them the advantage of more traction (thanks to more weight at the back) with more grip at the front in medium and fast corners (thanks to the extra front end down force), at the expense of some mechanical grip at the front in slow corners and possibly being slower to heat the front tyres?

Interesting to see the compromises each team has chosen.

Thats exactly what I was thinking. I guess only time will tell who took the right direction.

This comment makes me wondder about the different concepts. Surely a high degree of front downforce implies a high friont weight % to keep the static margin at an acceptable level, hence it would suggest McLaren and Red Bull already have a high % front weight.

Is traction more affected by set up with reagard to damping and springing and weight transfer, than static weight .

I do wonder where RBR is putting that weight in the front ? Thats the main reason why the nose of the Renault, Williams and BMW is that wide, plus its also producing some basic downforce.

[kilcoo316]

I do wonder where RBR is putting that weight in the front ? Thats the main reason why the nose of the Renault, Williams and BMW is that wide, plus its also producing some basic downforce.

Perhaps the back of the car is light enough that they do not have to place it in the nose to get the c.g. where they want it.

Just two reasons being the KERS under (or maybe ahead of) the fuel tank, not behind it, and the move forward of the rear suspension components.


Don't forget moment of inertia means you would like to keep the mass centralised as well as getting the c.g. right.

[Agerasia]

Newey has already stated he put a lot under the fuel tank. Bias can also be changed by the length of the car, where the cockpit is and the wheelbase.
Being that it's under the fuel tank and near the COG I can see why no ballast is needed in the nose section.