In May, the accident during the Mexican’s Monaco Grand Prix qualifying caused his car to be raised above the track, providing photographers with a clear perspective of the RB19’s underside.
Rival teams were left rubbing their hands about finally getting a chance to better understand what F1’s benchmark squad has done with its floor.
When Perez’s RB19 car had to be recovered in Hungary after his crash during the first practice session, it is probable that there was a similar feeling of excitement about showcasing the floor once more. This is particularly true considering that his Red Bull team had implemented some new enhancements.
Red Bull has disclosed in the official submission documents, required by the FIA for the Hungarian GP, that they have made certain adjustments to the floor edge detail due to modifications made to their sidepods.
Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing RB19 crash
Photo by: Ronald Vording
The team mentioned that the modified sidepod has resulted in slight adjustments to the floor edges in order to complement the surrounding surfaces, resulting in increased local load.
Close examination of the photos that emerged after Perez’s crash show that whilst there’s little to be seen on the top surface, aside from some accommodating geometrical alterations to suit the new sidepod layout, there’s an interesting development to be found on the underside.
It’s a design feature we have seen elsewhere – perhaps ironically when it was spotted on Lewis Hamilton’s W14 being lifted up after his Monaco practice crash.
In both cases a row of strakes have been added to the rear portion of the edge wing, in order to help direct the airflow as it passes around the surface.
Did the sight of the Mercedes design in Monaco ignite Red Bull’s interest in this direction, or was there already something in progress as part of this update package?
It is always intriguing to observe how there is a convergence towards similar design paths, regardless of whether they are exact replicas or not. This is particularly interesting considering the need for them to harmonize with their respective environments.
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