F1 | Red Bull technique: how many secrets in the front of the RB20

The Red Bull RB20 is a single-seater waiting to be discovered: Adrian Newey amazed the world by having divided the Honda engine cooling system into four separate stages, each of which has a specific vent and a hot air outlet, so to be able to adapt the system according to the temperatures and characteristics of the routes.

This solution, obviously, has allowed freedoms for the benefit of aerodynamics and it should therefore not be surprising if the single-seater from Milton Keynes still requires careful fine-tuning work on the track before expressing its actual performance value.

The extreme solutions were introduced because the Japanese power unit is certainly the one that requires less air to guarantee the reliability of the systems. And this too becomes a competitive advantage that is not measured in power, but which can have an impact on performance.

But it would be very superficial to dismiss the value of the RB20 only in the revolutionary cooling system: the Red Bull is completely new in every detail. If the bellies were redesigned starting from a blank sheet of paper, the same must also be said for the front part of the body.

Technical detail of the front suspension of the Red Bull RB20 completely revised compared to 2023

Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

We remember that the first chassis was destroyed in the frontal homologation crash test that was attempted before Christmas, a clear sign that they had decided on extreme solutions in the absorption structure of the nose which had not held up, although the nose was longer and lay flat the main profile of the front wing and not on the first flap.

Comparison between the Red Bull Racing RB19 and the RB20 in the front part of the more keeled chassis

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

In the drawing of Giorgio Piola it is possible to appreciate in detail other important interventions on the RB20: Newey tried to emphasize the keel in the lower part that had appeared on the RB19. The front part of the chassis (1) has a decidedly smaller section and a more flared shape for the benefit of better aerodynamic efficiency.

Red Bull RB20: There are two small periscopes on the body to cool the cockpit

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

The revision of all the elements of the front pull rod suspension forced Pierre Waché's technical staff to move the cooling intakes for the passenger compartment (2), moving them from bottom to top above the brake fluid reservoir. There are also two small periscopes protruding from the top of the chassis to ensure pilots keep the cockpit temperature bearable when it's very hot.

Red Bull RB20 detail: compared to the RB20, the steering arm has been raised

Photo by: Uncredited

The fact that both the steering arm (3) and the front arm of the lower triangle have been slightly raised compared to the RB19 had gone unnoticed: these are not mechanical choices, but modifications dictated by aerodynamic needs. As we have already mentioned, the traditional brake reservoir has been revised (the second, of the system which must be double and separate, is located in the right belly under the radiator package) in place of last year's rectangular container.

Red Bull RB20: The upper suspension arm has been moved back and is therefore tilted forward

Photo by: Filip Cleeren

The most important innovation, however, concerns the front arm of the upper triangle (4): compared to the world champion RB19, it has been moved significantly further back, almost aligning itself with the pull rod tie rod pivoted at the bottom and remains at the highest point of the frame . The Milton Keynes technicians have opened a rather large cockpit to facilitate the interventions of the mechanics who must act on the internal kinematics of the suspension which have been placed on the floor of the body.

Red Bull RB20: here is the connecting bar between the arms of the upper triangle

Photo by: Uncredited

The RB20 also retains the connecting bar between the two arms: Newey has refined a concept he developed on the last three Red Bull models. The idea is to link the two front corners, in an attempt to limit the movements of the body during load variations and transients in search of a more stable structure, without claiming to completely eliminate pitching.

The refinement and care with which certain solutions were designed highlights the almost maniacal research of a genius like Adrian, perhaps the last engineer who still has the global vision of the single-seater, while the design work in the other teams is entrusted to groups very large number of technicians who report to the chief designer.