By Carlo Platella
We will have to wait for the debut on the track to know the true forms of the Racing Bulls, for now revealed only through digital renderings. The computer graphics however depict an RB-01 equipped with the pull-rod front suspension, as opposed to the push-rod that had characterized the latest AlphaTauri. A change which, although Racing Bulls has yet to make its first public appearance, is highly credible.
The Faenza-Milton Keynes axis
Since taking office as CEO of the second team of the Red Bull group, Peter Bayer has repeatedly reiterated his desire to strengthen the collaboration between the Faenza team and the parent team. Bayer's vision includes a greater sharing of components between the two teams, exploiting the opportunities of the regulation as much as possible. The front suspension was the number one suspect to be transferred to the new Racing Bulls, which in the first two seasons of the ground effect regulations ran with a push-rod front layout, unlike Red Bull.
A first confirmation comes from the renderings of the RB-01, published following the launch event in Las Vegas. The images show exactly the same front suspension world champion Red Bull pull-rod, with an accentuated anti-pitch kinematics to stabilize the posture of the bottom during braking. The reversal of the suspension at Racing Bulls would also presuppose the remaking of the chassis, necessary to move the spring-shock absorber group from the upper to the lower part of the body.
New aerodynamic philosophy
The Faenza team would become the fourth team on the grid to fit the pull-rod front suspension, aligning with Red Bull, McLaren and Sauber. The Swiss team itself has switched to the tie rod scheme with the 2024 car, a choice explained by technical director James Key: “From a mechanical point of view it is a compromise. A mechanical engineer would never draw it like that. It's a pull-rod, but not a nice way to activate the internal springs. If we did it it's for aerodynamics. With this generation of Formula 1, the suspension is an aerodynamic device rather than a simple support for the wheels.”
On the current generation of Formula 1, the front suspension arms are the only elements that come between the wing and the bottom attachment, playing a crucial role in sorting flows and managing turbulence. Reversing the suspension pattern therefore implies a rethinking of the aerodynamic structure which approaches the vehicle center and the Venturi channels, outlining a change in philosophy. The first public appearance of the Racing Bulls will therefore have a double reason of interest, both to confirm the purchase of the Red Bull pull-rod and to find out how the bottom and bodywork have been adapted accordingly.
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