F1 | Racing Bulls VCARB 01: the RB20 clone with Lilliputian bellies

The Racing Bulls indulged in… cinema on the night in Las Vegas (our breakfast time) to launch the change in the team's identity. AlphaTauri disappears and Visa CashApp RB F1 Team is born. And the team's center of gravity shifts more from Faenza towards Milton Keynes, where the team led by Peter Bayer (CEO) and Laurent Mekies (Team Principal) has put down roots after closing the Bicester aerodynamic cell.

In Las Vegas there was a change of clothes, but all the eyes of the experts were not on the gambling capital where a show car was on display, but on the team's new website to preview the first images of the VCARB-01.

Racing Bulls VCARB 01

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Why so much curiosity? The answer is simple: Racing Bulls has decided to make the most of the synergies that the F1 regulations allow regarding parts that can be acquired from another manufacturer, playing on the fact that the ownership is Red Bull for the two teams, so there is no there is no transfer of intellectual property.

The VCARB-01, therefore, takes on a political and technical value that would not be justified for a team that finished the Constructors' World Championship in seventh place. At Racing Bulls they are aware that the “clone” with the ideas developed by Adrian Newey will trigger very violent controversies (just remember what happened in 2020 with the pink Mercedes of Racing Point), also because the team's goal is to raise its gaze upwards, creating disruptions in the hierarchies of the center group.

We are sure that this time the technicians of the top teams also got up early to take more than a look at the VCARB-01 which can anticipate some lines of the Red Bull RB20 which will only be seen on February 15th. The Racing Bull already at first glance proves to be an extreme version of the RB19 which won the 2023 world championship with Max Verstappen.

Preview of the RB20?

Compared to the AlphaTauri AT04 there is a visible double genealogical leap: the VCARB-01 certainly comes closer to what will be the new Red Bull than it is related to Jody Eggington's 2023 car. The most striking aspects in this nouvelle vague are the mouth of the radiators and the design of the sides.

Racing Bull VCARB 01

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

The radiator mouth is narrow

The front section of the cooling intakes is reduced to a minimum thanks to the eye-catching lower tray that protrudes forward and which catches the down wash flow that arrives from the nose and the upper part of the chassis in a high pressure area.

The mouth has a rather long and linear duct which becomes more rounded in the upper part at the height where the Halo attaches to the frame to be able to fit the radiators. Almost certainly the Faenza single-seater also adopts the complex radiant packs that Newey was proud of last year for the unusual curvilinear shape that adapted to the extreme design of the side. The cooling system of the Honda power unit has been totally revised and the radiators have been raised.

Racing Bulls VCARB 01

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

New side with Canyon and slide!

The side image of the Racing Bulls is impressive because it highlights a side that does not have the design of a wing at the bottom like the other single-seaters seen so far, because it has an inclined shape that is almost straight and curves slightly upwards where it reaches settle on the bottom. It is also improper to speak of a sloping upper belly as was the RB19: the concept has been taken to the extreme to bring more air downwards and improve the efficiency of the diffuser and beam wing: the belly reaches its maximum width and then hints at a small Canyon at which internally, it is imprudent to talk about a tub, even if the concept shows a well-thought-out mix of ideas.

Racing Bull VCARB 01

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

New chassis, pull front suspension

The chassis is new: an attempt was made to save on weight to bring the regulation limit of 798 kg closer, but it was necessary to redesign it to adopt the pull rod front suspension of the RB19, while it is surprising that the lower anti-intrusion cone is not been drowned in the bottom as Red Bull taught us, but placed rather high up.

Racing Bulls VCARB 01

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

The anti-intrusion cone covered by bargeboard

With an impressive undercut, the result of a Lilliputian radiator mouth, it was possible to exploit the SYS to create a sort of bargeboard. The raised lateral safety element, which on the Ferrari SF-23 became a reason for aerodynamic blocking, on the VCARB 01 is transformed into an opportunity to make the flows work better. When it comes to the evolution of the species.

Racing Bulls VCARB 01

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Muzzle narrow and hollow in the lower part

The front part of the body should have a keel shape: just look at how hollow the nose is in the lower part to understand how maximum air filling was sought under the frame. The nose, more profiled and narrow, rests on the main profile and protrudes from the first element which has a very wide cord and which extends close to the side bulkhead.

The square airbox

The airbox is square in the framework of the Red Bull tradition and has an engine hood that fits very well the central radiator mounted above the Honda power unit: the small bellies were possible precisely because part of the cooling system was placed on the mechanics.

Racing Bulls VCARB 01

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

Venting hot air from the bazooka

The hot air is conveyed at the tail of the bazooka, but compared to the solution proposed by Alpine which is huge, it has a much smaller section, because the upper part has been hollowed out (Mercedes style) in search of greater efficiency of the rear wing. The VCARB 01 maintains a small stabilizing fin on the engine cover.

Racing Bulls VCARB 01

Photo by: Red Bull Content Pool

RB19 push rear suspension

The rear suspension is push rod and takes up what we have seen on the RB19 with the internal mechanisms located in the upper part of the gearbox. The arms are multilink and offset to facilitate the anti-squat effect, i.e. prevent the rear axle from sitting down during acceleration. The mono-pylon which is connected to the suspensions supports the rear wing characterized by a main spoon profile and a mobile flap which does not have supports connected to the side bulkheads, but is fixed by small metal inserts.

Yuki Tsunoda, VCARB 01