Red Bull RB13 TAG Heuer

[seezung]

Better picture of the RB rims;

[roon]

Looks like a left-hand thread. The top face of the nut appears not flat, but helical. At the 5 o'clock position there's a step which is probably for the positive locking device on the hub.

[bhall II]

It appears the tip vortices from the rear wing are strongly interacting with the edge vortices from the diffuser, presumably because they're so much closer this year...





If so, I wonder why DRS doesn't seem to be more potent.

[wuzak]

Looks like a left-hand thread. The top face of the nut appears not flat, but helical. At the 5 o'clock position there's a step which is probably for the positive locking device on the hub.

There will be left hand threads on one side and right hand threads on the other.

[henra]

If so, I wonder why DRS doesn't seem to be more potent.

Perhaps it compounds to the problem?
With less general upward deflection of the airflow and thus also the trailing end plate vortex with open DRS, could it be that with open DRS the two vortices merge even earlier and more completely, thereby accelerating the endplate vortex even more?

[seezung]

[digitalrurouni]

I think the Red Bull is a beautiful machine except for that hole in the nose. But it just seems to me that sure they have a weaker PU but they are really on the back foot this year more so than last year. They are performing well above what the car is supposed to in reality because of their superb driver lineup. Do others feel the same way? I just don't see how unless they have a fundamental rethink this car will produce dramatic leaps in performance mid season as a lot of folks here seem to be predicting. I would be very glad to be proved wrong though! But to me it seems like they really underestimated their competition this year. Everybody kept saying Adrian Newey will design a staggeringly performant car but so far it seems to be far from it.

[tmoneyr007]

I think the Red Bull is a beautiful machine except for that hole in the nose. But it just seems to me that sure they have a weaker PU but they are really on the back foot this year more so than last year. They are performing well above what the car is supposed to in reality because of their superb driver lineup. Do others feel the same way? I just don't see how unless they have a fundamental rethink this car will produce dramatic leaps in performance mid season as a lot of folks here seem to be predicting. I would be very glad to be proved wrong though! But to me it seems like they really underestimated their competition this year. Everybody kept saying Adrian Newey will design a staggeringly performant car but so far it seems to be far from it.

Develop a solid base, make sure airflow is going where they want. Very, very small tweaks, wait on the Renault PU upgrade. Continue on methodically seems to be very much RBR's approach. I would not expect a B-spec car as some have discussed. I very much expect them to own 3rd for the first half and push towards the front the second half and switch to the 2018 car very early on. Now 2018 I truly believe with a much improved PU/stable rules that they will jump to the top and Max will be world champion.

[Flying JPS Lotus]

According to Marko RBR will be bringing a B-spec car to Spain. Will be interesting to see what changes the new car will have to the original. I wonder if we'll see a car with a longer wheelbase or new suspension system.

[Shakeman]

According to Marko RBR will be bringing a B-spec car to Spain. Will be interesting to see what changes the new car will have to the original. I wonder if we'll see a car with a longer wheelbase or new suspension system.

Horner said the main issues RB faced are aero based. The development is a very significant aero upgrade according to Horner and Newey is heavily engaged in which was described as being 'very expensive'. He also quashed the rumour that RB have been hampered by the suspension clarification, they were working on a system but it was too heavy to bring to the car and that development has ceased. The aero difficulties are not related to the trick suspension bans.

[roon]

The development is a very significant aero upgrade according to Horner and Newey is heavily engaged in which was described as being 'very expensive'.

Hundreds of T-wings.

[Chuckjr]

Wasn't it Newey --back when the coanda exhaust emerged via Macca-- the one who shunned the Macca design for the Sauber? I remember his making some kind of remark to the effect that Sauber was onto something better than Macca, fundamentally. The Red Bull then proceeded to made a huge chassis aero change with the Saubers design as it's fundamental, and then Red Bull owned the EBD for the rest of its time.

Makes me wonder if Newey sees ideas from Ferrari that have steered him in a radical new direction? He did mention how the Ferrari when he first saw it did not make sense.

I will be interested if the Red Bull that emerges in Spain looks like another car on the grid...

[Vanja #66]

I don't really remember it as Newey copying Sauber, it was more Newey wanting to develop it as much as possible and RB therefore bringing it to the last days of preseason testing. They all had their ideas on how to use Coanda effect and it was Ferrari that has copied other cars, not RB...

Whatever kind of "new car" they bring in Barcelona, if it's a copy of another concept - it will remain behind the original throughout the season (I honestly don't expect them ripping off any team other than Merc or Ferrari ). If it's something completely different, kudos to RB...

[Quantum]

He also quashed the rumour that RB have been hampered by the suspension clarification, they were working on a system but it was too heavy to bring to the car and that development has ceased. The aero difficulties are not related to the trick suspension bans.

Perhaps the issues hampering them aren't to do with the suspension clarification. But the suspension clarification was to do with the how it interacted with the attitude(yaw, pitch, roll) of the car. And aero is a direct correlation to all of those.

The suspension is alleged to have worked by 'knowing' how to adjust in certain conditions. Again having implications on aero.

[Shakeman]

I don't really remember it as Newey copying Sauber,

I remember it exactly as Chuckjr notes. I remember Newey being interviewed with his notebook open and he was making notes about the Sauber. I can remember him being asked what he was interested in and Newey was extremely complimentary about the Sauber coanda solution.

@Quantum, from the way Horner was talking the trick suspension was a long way off ever coming to the car and was very much still in R&D and was way too heavy. The aero they have was not built with the suspension in mind.

Someone said in this thread a while ago was Newey's design simplified to the point of genius or old hat. I think the results so far have shown it to be the latter rather than the former. It will be very interesting to see what the B spec car looks like.