Racing Bulls has just come off a tough September in terms of results, with zero points collected in the four races after the summer break. The Faenza-based team consoles itself with the restored correlation between its development tools, after suffering the side effects of updates introduced at the start of the summer. The Italian team is now keeping pace with Haas in development, signaling a tight battle for sixth place in the 2024 Formula 1 Constructors’ Championship until the end of the year.
A downturn from Barcelona
Racing Bulls started the season convincingly, immediately establishing itself as the sixth-strongest team. The first development packages introduced at Suzuka and Miami worked as expected, consolidating the Faenza team’s position as the leader of the midfield. Problems began to emerge from Barcelona when a new floor made its debut on the VCARB 01, marking the fourth iteration since the start of the season. The Spanish package also included a new bodywork, refining the shape of the radiator inlets and the curvatures of the side pods. The side pod redesign was meant to work in synergy with the new floor, aiming to protect it better from external turbulence by creating high-pressure zones, while also preserving more energy in the airflow directed under the side pods towards the gearbox.
However, already in Spain, the team encountered unexpected side effects from the new package, which were observed on track but not anticipated by design tools such as CFD and wind tunnel testing. Between the Austrian and British Grands Prix, Racing Bulls opted for a hybrid configuration, mixing components from the new package with parts from the previous specification. However, the situation did not improve, and the effects were visible on the stopwatch. Between the Bahrain and Imola Grands Prix, the Faenza team enjoyed an average qualifying advantage of one and a half tenths over Haas, but suddenly fell to over half a second behind their rivals during the triple-header in Barcelona, Austria, and Silverstone.
The recovery
Not all setbacks are negative, as the on-track problems exposed the characteristics of the new package, allowing the team to understand its needs. In Budapest, the two VCARBs returned to the updated Barcelona configuration, this time successfully adjusting the mechanical suspension setup to meet the requirements of the new aerodynamic platform. “I think we had some time and understood everything,” commented Daniel Ricciardo at the time. “This helps to arrive at the weekend with a better understanding of the package and knowing what setup window suits the car.”
In Hungary, the qualifying gap to Haas dropped to just over a tenth, and the team even outpaced its rival in the Netherlands. However, it’s worth noting that the Budapest and Zandvoort tracks also highlighted the strengths of the VCARB 01, which performs better in medium-to-low-speed corners compared to a Haas that is more competitive at higher speeds and in low-drag setups. Racing Bulls ended the summer on an upward trend, thanks in part to other small modifications made to the car. In Austria, Hungary, and Zandvoort, the team repeatedly worked on the delicate area of the rear wheel aerodynamic appendages, which interact with the diffuser. There were also some tweaks to the halo, such as the removal of the top profile and changes to the fairing of the central support.
A new floor at Monza
The renewed confidence in the design tools is evident with the debut of the fifth version of the floor at Monza. The updates focused primarily on the lower part, with no noticeable changes on the outside. In the Italian, Azerbaijan, and Singapore Grands Prix, the average qualifying gap to Haas remained at around one and a half tenths, while the team awaits further evaluations on more traditional circuits.
On the other hand, Racing Bulls is facing a standings freeze that has lasted for two months. However, calm remains in Faenza, with the awareness that the high-speed, low-drag tracks of Monza and Baku played to Haas’ strengths, along with Williams’ sudden resurgence following the updates from Zandvoort. Despite scoring zero points in the Singapore race, Yuki Tsunoda’s eighth place in qualifying showcased a car with solid potential. The impression is that the Italian team is leaving its difficulties behind and now has the tools to defend sixth place in the Constructors’ standings.
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