Why is Red Bull the fastest on the low power Spa and the least competitive on the high Downford Zandvoort? Mark Hughes takes a look at Giorgio Piola’s suspension set-up for technical specs.
The hierarchy of the top three cars, Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, has changed dramatically between Spa and Zandvoort seven days later. This has some significant technical implications.
Tech Tuesday: How the Red Bull RB18 did it to dominate at Spa.
What we saw at Spa was Red Bull’s biggest advantage all season, while at Zandvoort the spread between the three cars was very small. Max Verstappen had to work hard to win at the Dutch circuit, starting from pole with a 14th penalty spat.
As we discussed last week, the Red Bull RB18’s advantage is maximized when all cars are forced, due to the track layout, to run relatively large torque peaks. All the cars lose downforce as the ride height increases, of course, but the Red Bull loses less.
Also, Red Bull’s advanced ride allows for a lower ride height than the others, almost twice as much. And Less increase in ride height.
At the opposite end of Spain, the Mercedes loses a lot of power when running the ride height required by Spa, and the poor ride probably means they need to raise the ride height even more.
Ferrari, another high-speed swing character, suffered more damage at Spa than Red Bull, although not to the extent of Mercedes.
All of this is directly related to how efficient each car in each spa is at low power – how little drag it has to pull.
Read more: ‘We have to try hard to lose’, says Horner Red Bull has seen both titles for the first time since 2013.
But Zandvoort’s aero needs are completely different. The circuit is relatively smooth, the straights are not long. Aero efficiency isn’t nearly as important here as it is in a spa. Down energy is rewarded more. The layout allows the cars to run at a very low ride height – and in this part of the air map, the Mercedes does exactly that; It produces a lot of low power at a low driving height.
Competing with Red Bull and Ferrari at a circuit where low ride height and aero efficiency are not so important, the Mercedes W13 was highly competitive at Zandvoort. Couple that with Ferrari’s tire heat problems and Verstappen’s main concern for the first time with Mercedes.
There are many reasons for Red Bull’s smooth ride – and earlier in the season we’ve seen a particularly complex chassis design – but another key factor could be the complexity of the front suspension.
The front and rear suspensions are two parts of this car specially designed by Adrian Nye, perhaps emphasizing how critical suspension is under the new regulations.
Read more: 6 winners and 5 losers from the Dutch Grand Prix – who impressed at Zandvoort?
This generation of aero rules allowed for a re-evaluation of the front and rear suspensions and Red Bull pullrod front (after years of pushrod) and pullrod rear (after years of pullrod) in each group to ensure the best way to pack. A reflection of this. But of particular note is the RB18’s front suspension detail.
The upper front link is mounted too high, the upper rear link is too low. This is a common feature of 2022 cars that resists under braking, which is especially important with the concept of ground effect, as it limits how much the rear ride height increases when the car brakes. With the previous generation of cars, which had multiple rakes, this was not so important. The disadvantage of the anti-dive geometry is that it makes it easier to lock the front wheels, but the aero has more advantages than the victory on the 2022 cars.
Read more: How did Mercedes approach the one-stop strategy?
Having the static ride height adjustment incorporated into the outside of the suspension is a nice detail from Red Bull and gets around the naturally awkward reach in a pullrod setup.
As with the last two years, Red Bull’s front suspension is multi-link, with different attachment points for the different suspension links, inside and out, allowing them to work independently and help with ride quality.
Good ride quality in an F1 car is required for aerodynamic reasons rather than driver comfort as in a road car. The more resistant the car is to flying, the less it can run and the more downforce it creates in underground tunnels. It can also allow the driver to use more curbs, effectively shortening the length of the road.
The secret to the RB18’s speed on such a variety of circuits will be more than blocking. But according to these rules, the mechanical aspect will have a greater impact on the air than before.
