Documents released by the Federation list fifteen ‘updates’ for Red Bull in Australia, the highest number on the grid. However, this figure can be misleading as the updates for the first race of the year reflect the differences between the current car and the previous one, with varying levels of specificity in the descriptions provided by the teams. However, the RB21 that arrived in Australia still features some developments compared to the launch version, which were first seen in Bahrain, showing that evaluations are still ongoing.
The setup for Australia
The Milton Keynes team chose to continue with the new floor tested on the last day of the Bahrain tests, fitting it on both cars in Australia. The new specification differs from the initial one due to the raised edge along the outer side, lengthened at the top, indicating a more aggressive extraction of flows along the sides of the floor. As always, observations are limited to visible parts, with no possibility to analyze any changes made to the diffuser and, in general, to the lower surfaces, which are crucial for performance.
A new front wing also reappears in Melbourne, previously tested on the last day of the Bahrain tests. This specification is particularly distinguished by the nose, which is wider and stops at the second element of the wing, opening an additional airflow towards the lower part of the chassis. Another difference is found in the area where the flaps meet the vertical endplate flaps, with a treatment aimed at enhancing the push of the airflow around the front wheels. In the first free practice session, Max Verstappen was the only one to use the new wing, with the older version fitted to Liam Lawson’s car to allow for a comparative check.
One variable at a time
The mix of old and new components on the RB21 reflects the work of a team still trying to find the best combination between aerodynamic setup and mechanical configuration. For instance, the new floor was initially abandoned after the morning of the last day of testing in Bahrain, while the team continued switching between the old and new front wing. However, these weren’t correlation issues but rather a precise effort to map the car’s responses to changes, build a virtual model, and from there, find the optimal configuration.
The effectiveness of updates is never measurable in absolute terms, always requiring an adjustment of the mechanical setup to allow the aerodynamic parts to work at the correct ride heights and optimal postures. The same front wing, for example, can yield different results depending on whether it’s paired with the old or new floor. Furthermore, for each of the four possible combinations, the effects of the setup adjustments still need to be assessed, requiring a scientific approach and changing one variable at a time to reach the best configuration. Despite a less scattered approach, it appears that Red Bull is continuing the analysis work that began during the tests in Australia at the Albert Park circuit. It remains to be seen whether the Milton Keynes team will find a mechanical compromise that allows the new aerodynamic package to perform optimally.
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