One of the main characteristics of the dominant RB19 is the DRS advantage which has helped Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez to be often unstoppable on the straights.
He was instrumental in producing some impressive qualifying performances and in enabling both drivers to overtake their rivals in the race without too much difficulty.
If at the beginning of the year the size of the gain from DRS Red Bull had led to think of a system of deception to favor the increase in speed, the rivals quickly understood the dynamics at play.
There was speculation that the system operates in a gray area of the regulations, but the reality is that the system has to do with how Red Bull balances drag levels at the rear of the car.
Red Bull have deliberately chosen to have a higher ratio of drag coming from the rear wing than the conventional one, so when the main wing opens there is a greater speed jump.
But rivals simply can’t copy this approach, because their cars don’t produce the necessary performance from the diffuser that allows them to reduce the rear wing, which produces high downforce and high aerodynamic drag and is an invaluable tool for improving rear stability.
McLaren started tweaking this area a bit more and at the Belgian Grand Prix they introduced a more efficient beam wing which they hoped would shift drag ratios to the rear and start unlocking some DRS gains.
Oscar Piastri, McLaren MCL60
Photo by: Michael Potts / Motorsport Images
But team principal Andrea Stella has made clear it will be a long-term process to develop the rear of the car as Red Bull has done for the past two seasons.
“They seem to have been pursuing this concept for some time,” Stella explained, when asked by Motorsport.com if the wing approach was the key to the DRS gain.
“So, I think they are benefiting from the experience they have gained developing this type of setup. I think this has become apparent over time.
“I think all the teams are trying to figure out what can be exploited by developing this type of configuration.”
Aston Martin, which had a significant DRS deficit to Red Bull in the early races when it was its closest rival, said it too is working in this direction to try and make improvements.
Performance director Tom McCullough said: “I think the upgrades we’ve made [in Belgio] have actually been largely in this direction”.
“It’s about the interaction of the whole rear of the car. If you look at the rear, everything works together, whether it’s the rear brakes, whether it’s the diffuser, whether it’s the fascia and the rear wing “.
Red Bull Racing RB19 rear wing detail
Photo by: Uncredited
“They suck everything out of the rear of the car and, obviously, it’s the relationship between those two elements that counts.”
“Obviously you want stable aerodynamics, but you also want to get a big change when you open the DRS. It also depends on the level of the rear wing and so many other factors.”
“That was definitely one where we saw Red Bull were on top at the start of last year, they were strong in that respect and I think everyone has tried to catch up to some extent.”
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