Red Bull and Ferrari are two cars that are visually very distant, yet more similar than one might imagine. In fact, both share a wide-bellied bodywork to shield the car body from external turbulence, with the difference that the RB19 channels the flows of the sides downwards, while the SF-23 remains high up to the rear. Adrian Newey was a guest on the podcast Talking Bull and commented on the design choices of Milton Keynes and Maranello.
Ferrari-Red Bull: similar concepts
“I have to admit that the first time I saw the regulations I was depressed”Newey says. “But then I relaxed and going into detail I realized that there was more room for maneuver than one could imagine. The result was cars quite different from each other. We have developed our concept and I’d say Ferrari has brought forth a fairly similar one. Mercedes, with the zero sidepods, has followed a different path”.
“When you develop a car, at some point you have to decide which way to go”, continues Newey. “You are never sure which one will have the best potential over the long distance. Some concepts might pay more up front, but then slow down over time”. The words of the Red Bull CTO reproduce a concept also expressed by the Haas technical director, Simone Resta, according to which the choice of the initial concept is not always an exact science: “There is always a basis of assumption and belief that one road is more promising than others, based on some initial information that may not be 100% complete”. Adrian Newey also explained that the choice of push-rod rear suspension for the RB18 and RB19 was the one that best suited the aerodynamics of the car.
The utility of the horizontal structure
Adrian Newey then went on to talk about the importance of the horizontal structure, an organization also desired in Ferrari by the late Sergio Marchionne: “We try to encourage a horizontal structure. In any organization you need a workforce with a sort of pyramidal hierarchical structure. However, within the engineering department we try to have a flat organization, where people have to communicate with each other as much as possible. Let’s try to reduce the number of meetings. Meeting culture can be a huge waste of time. At the same time, we encourage people not to speak through email alone. A bar or a refreshment place can help with this”.
“We try to ensure that employees keep as much information as possible with each other. The engineering and progress of the machine depends on the generation of ideas”, continues Newey. “It’s about having a culture where people feel comfortable in propose your own ideas and where others are prepared to listen to them. Then you evaluate them, and if at some point it becomes obvious that those ideas won’t help make the car go faster, then you have to discard them. But if they are useful then great, you are free to develop them”. The competitiveness of a car is the natural result of internal organization and the successes of the RB19 are the best proof of the effectiveness of the Red Bull horizontal structure.
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