Red Bull and the new set-up that gave the RB16B wings

The performance of the RB16B that allowed Max Verstappen to conquer the pole position at Yas Marina, was the result of a painstaking refinement of its set-up, initially started with the simulations that had indicated that the best choice was to adopt a set-up aerodynamic exhaust. Since Friday this has been progressively calibrated, accentuating the reduction of the load produced by the wings, with an increasingly pushed adoption towards the contextual reduction of the drag. In practice, after the first comparisons, Verstappen has adopted from FP2 onwards, a wing configuration with an accentuated spoon profile and bulkheads without central blowouts, while Perez has mounted a wing with a less extreme profile and standard bulkheads.

I work non-stop

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In fact, it emerged that precisely because of the changes made to the track, the apparent risk of a setup very similar to the one adopted in Jeddah could have paid off, greatly reducing, indeed canceling the gap that seemed to separate in free practice, especially in the early stages. two sectors, Red Bull from Mercedes.The work was completed with simulations carried out in the night between Friday and Saturday in the factory in England, which ended practically at dawn, which gave the definitive indication to proceed with a refinement of the setup also through the variation of the heights from the ground. These have been reduced, specifically at the front, almost as much as in Saudi Arabia and adopted to their final extent practically only in qualifying, relying for their validation on a single FP3 test with soft tires. In short, the RB16B, or rather its adjustments, made it possible to drive away the ghost of the super Mercedes engine. A result that, paradoxically, could have been obtained in qualifying already in Jeddah, without the mistake in the last corner. The preparation work for the tender is also important. In Red Bull they were able to thoroughly analyze the race pace with the medium (yellow) tires in anticipation of a prolonged stint with this compound, which proved to be extremely competitive and apparently not replicable by the W12.