And yet it moves: the RB9 yields another secret.

Finding the "secret" to the Red Bull RB9's seemingly unstoppable performance in the second part of the season has been quite a quest for specialists and fueled much discussion among fans.

Towards the later part of 2013 interest began to focus on the T-tray area,  the flat section under the driver's seat which channels air to the the diffuser.   There was much discussion about images seen via the FIA's thermal cameras,  it was thought Red Bull had come up with a system which would allow movement once the oddly large amount of titanium fasteners were heated by friction.  This theory was championed by BBC's Gary Anderson and it raised enough interest for the FIA to perform a special test, applying heat along with the required 200kg force to the part.   It did not budge.

As it turns out Anderson was getting warmer.  He wasn't the only one, many were curious as to why Red Bull mechanics were both very protective of and yet constantly adjusting something in that area.    Giorgio Piola, along with Franco Nugnes at Omnicorse now shed some light on how Red Bull was able to run what is a completely forbidden moving aerodynamic device, perfectly legally!

First off, let's be clear that if a car passes FIA technical regulations as written it is by definition, legal. Making an end run on regulations and getting away with it is part of the essence of racing and engineering: the "Unfair Advantage", read it.

Newey, argues Piola, has always been a designer who has tended to miniaturize and willing to risk reliability to do so (case in point the size and placement of the KERS batteries which have caused many issues but were never changed).  It was a surprise then when in Brazil, thanks perhaps to the team being a bit more relaxed, a photographer was able to snap a picture which showed the inside of the t-tray and keel assembly.    It revealed a very large (for F1, 30cm) structure, bow shaped and hinged in the middle.

The structure, it is said, worked as a spring but only at values above the FIA's test.  A force above 200 kg applied to one side of the lever would raise the front of the t-tray enough to allow Red Bull to run the car lower and with more rake without worrying about wearing though the compliance skid plate.  

Combine this with the better exhaust blowing Renault engines were able to produce and the better way Newey  channeled  that energy to seal the raked rear and Vettel's ability to figure out how to take full advantage of the package and you understand how Red Bulls were able to regularly trounce their rivals.

More vortices...

In case you doubted you are witnessing the sculpting of air, check out the curlicue vortex created off the RB9's front wing as it twists around the sides of the car.

Interesting how it appears to "turn on" and off like a switch. as soon as Webber reaches a certain speed or hits the brakes. That may be to do with the conditions needed to make the vapor visible, perhaps aero guys out there can shed some light.

More Red Bull RB9 "Secrets" discovered.

Seems every week there's a new "Secret of Red Bull's performance" discovered.  

Last week it was the expanding tea tray theory from Gary Anderson.  In a nutshell, Newey had figured out how to use the heat from the titanium skid plate fasteners to somehow expand and lower the front "tea tray" and increase efficiency.    Intriguing, especially light of the heat camera pictures everyone saw where the center of the car is glowing as hot as tires.   If there is anything there, the FIA could not prove it,  they conducted a test where they applied heat to the parts and found not deflection.

Today we have Red Bull's "Passive Active Suspension". From Auto Motor und Sport  the theory is that the RB9 uses hydraulically linked suspension to control roll and optimize traction. With this system Red Bull is able to the perfect attitude for the rear wheels giving the RB9 better traction.
 
Now, FRIC (Front and Rear Interactive Control) suspension have been on the Mercedes for a couple of years and copied by many but, the German paper contends, Newey's team has developed the system to the point where they can emulate what active suspension was able to do using a completely passive system.

Newey himself when asked did not deny, limiting himself to a sibylline "It would be very difficult to achieve that"....  he did not say it could not be done.

The final "secret"  is more involved and I'll try to summarize the excellent piece by Cristiano Spotton.  In essence it has to do with rake, air skirts and the new Pirelli tire.    You all know how the RB9 uses an exaggerated raked stance compared to all other cars, low in the front, high in the rear.   This can only work if you can optimize flows very precisely.   What Red Bull have mastered is how to create thermal "skirts" using exhaust gasses to seal off the side of the diffuser.   Not something unheard of but, once again, executed better than anyone else.  A car with a raked stance like the RB9 will have its aerodynamic center of pressure move forward at slower speeds helping the car turn in  while the opposite happens at high speeds when more pressure on the rear makes the car more stable.

One crucial part of the puzzle has been the change in Pirelli tire construction.  The Kevlar belted tires are stiffer and therefore deform less making them especially suited to the Red Bull's critical setup.

A interesting point was raised about next year's regulations.  This whole "thermal skirts" business is going out the window as cars will all need to have one high central exhaust.   A blank slate in many ways and with that, hope that Red Bull's domination might not be so complete.

So How is Red Bull running traction control legally?

You might have noticed a number of articles here and there trying to rationalize Vettel's crushing advantage in Singapore.   The guy is quick but 2 seconds a lap quicker the everyone else, based on talent alone, nobody's buying that one.  The secret is in the car,  or rather the car and driver package.

One theory revolves around engine mapping.  As you know, F1 cars used to get huge downforce by "blowing" the diffuser on the off throttle,  having fuel mix combust in the headers rather than on top of the pistons and thus keeping the exhaust flow energized.   This was banned after 2011.

In 2012 it became clear that where you come up with a rule, designers will figure a way around it.  So Coanda effect exhausts and even more work on engine mapping  made engines honk much like when they were "blowing" , which of course, they cannot anymore.



That first car by in the clip, published by Autosprint, is Vettel in Singapore.  One thing is certain, his RB9 is the only car making that distinctive sound.  Webber's RB9, the fourth car in the clip, sounds "normal".
But is that really the secret, it's still pushing exhaust pressure on the off throttle?  I'd say no way Red Bull would try to get away with something that blatant.  What you are hearing are cylinders being shut off, something Mr Whiting gave a pass to Renault last year as long as it's no more than 4 at a time (Renault pleaded reliability).  Red Bull's software has been checked and re-checked by the FIA because other teams have raised the issue  so, if they are "blowing", they are doing it by "cheating" legally, so to speak.

The biggest advantage for the RB9 is slow corner traction, Singapore is the most extreme example of a point and squirt track. Montreal is also a point and squirt track and, if you remember, there was more than a few questions about traction control there as well,  along with the same honky engine sounds being heard at times.

Of course if the "buzz" were traction control, it would not happen mid corner but on corner exit,
so, how might a form of traction control, or perhaps, Torque Control work?    All manner of theories have been bouncing around online,  one has been given a big boost in credibility by an article in Racecar Engineering:  the use of KERS charging to modulate power.

KERS has a defined amount of power it can store and discharge but there is no obligation on when to charge it so, the theory goes that Red Bull has figured out a way to use the charging phase to modulate output torque on corner exit.  If this were controlled in response to wheelspin,  it would be traction control and illegal.  What Racecar Engineering is speculating is that it is controlled by sensors in the shocks: shock is compressed means more grip then you have full power, shock is extended then you might get less torque (because it's charging KERS) and less potential wheelspin.    In effect a form of traction control which seems to be legal by the letter of the rules.  Remember Webber's tire marks in Montreal?

You might imagine  a system like this would require extra sensors and controllers While the KERS system is separate from the auxiliary electrical system, it is also known that the RB9 places especially high demands on its alternators which led to failures in the past (as constructed, materials were not up to demands).   A connection?

There are of course a bunch of other theories out there about what Newey might have come up with, these are more in the "there was no moon landing" category but, for fun...

- there are electrical heating elements placed behind the diffuser "intake" holes which, using battery power, superheat the airflow providing the same effect as exhaust blowing.
-Red Bull is able to "package" the rear of the car so tightly because they are using a "Peltier effect" heat pump to cool the exhaust.

As I said, sci-fi, but fun.

What is going on is Red Bull have come up with something that works, but works perfectly because Vettel knows how to take full advantage of it.  The car is build around him, what he's good at and what he knows how to fully exploit.   Webber may very well have precisely the same car but he, for whatever reason, is not able to extract that same advantage consistently.

Optimizing the package and pushing the rules,  that's what F1 is all about, love it or hate it.

These May Be The Worst Formula 1 Videos Ever But...

...anyone serious about following the sport absolutely needs to see all three, beginning to end, probably more than once.



Designer Enrique Scalabroni, ex Dallara, Williams, Ferrari and Peugeot, is not shall we say, a natural on camera but, get passed that as I'm guessing you will and be rewarded with knowledge from someone with true command of the language of race car.  
Kudos to Peter Windsor, quietly making his way back from the USF1 wilderness, for making these fantastic pieces available, more please!

You may have noticed we expressly avoided talking about the first tests at Jerez,  it's completely pointless to try and make any guesses, not that that has stopped anyone apparently.

Even if the cars (save for a heavily reworked Ferrari and a very different Mclaren) are mostly evolutions from last year, with the aero rules essentially the same for 2013, some themes have emerged.

The first and maybe most obvious is the move to make the sidepods and the bodywork around the back of the car somehow even smaller and tighter.  Tradeoff for the additional "floorspace" will be cooling and to that end interesting Ferrari did not, as had been anticipated by some, have the the radiators at an angle the way Red Bull has.    Ferrari did make some pretty amazing work creating space under the gearbox and differential.

Another area you will notice more development in are the small vertical fins on the floor just in front of the rear wheels.  Their function is explained in one of the videos.

Finally, if I had to guess, this year a big prize will go to the team that best develops a passive F-Duct or DRD (Drag Reduction Duct), the trick there is finding a way to tune it so that it functions only when you actually don't need the downforce.   Lotus and Mercedes tried all last year without getting it quite right.  
The second test at the Circuit de Catalunya this week might shed a bit more light trough all the sandbagging.

2013 Infiniti-Red Bull Racing RB9

The pictures don't give a whole lot away but we'll bite on the clip, if anything for the shots of the gearbox being assembled!   Amusing RB included a shot of a nose cone being manufactured...