
Giorgio Piola's F1 technical analysis
The rear end overhaul that has transformed Red Bull's F1 car
Red Bull’s crushing form over the Formula 1 season-opening weekend in Bahrain suggests it has dialled out the aerodynamic issues that caused problems last year.

The often unpredictable rear end of the RB16 proved a handful for both Max Verstappen and Alex Albon at times, but the RB16B seems much more predictable
Red Bull spent a large portion of last season focused on fixing it, as it discovered quite quickly that the RB16’s performance was flawed owing to a correlation issue between its simulation tools back at the factory and the results delivered on track.
The team dug deep in the early part of the season and initially focused its attention on redesigning the car’s front end.
But, having fixed those issues and with new regulations cutting downforce at the rear of this year’s cars, the design team shifted its attention to nailing the rear end performance of the RB16B.
Its primary focus was to improve the airflow’s transit over the rear of the car, with the team happy to be schooled by its rivals as its layout draws inspiration from the concept introduced by Mercedes last season.
However, it has added its own twist too. The entire lower suspension assembly has essentially been flipped over, with the trackrod mounted at the front, rather than the rear (blue in lower inset), while the lower wishbone design is altogether more interesting.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Much like the design at the front end of the cars in recent years, rather than have the conventional triangulation, Red Bull has created a multi-link lower wishbone arrangement for the RB16B.
This separation of the arms allows the designers to select their placement and enables them to put them in a position that more effectively meets their aerodynamic demands.
This is critical when we consider the regulation changes for 2021, which put an onus on the design of the car’s rear end.
With this in mind, Red Bull has raised the lower suspension elements and pushed them as far rearward as possible, in order to try and improve the space available for the airflow over the raised diffuser ceiling, into the coke bottle section and the channel beside the tyre’s sidewall and edge of the diffuser.

Red Bull Racing RB16B rear detail
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Red Bull introduced a multi-link arrangement in 2019 as part of its front suspension package, with its upper wishbone sporting the splayed layout.
For 2020 and again in 2021, the team opted for a conventional upper wishbone but switched to a multi-link arrangement for its lower wishbone.
The never ending search...

Red Bull RB16B floor fin
Photo by: Uncredited
Red Bull already looked to be in good stead heading into the first round of the championship, with a solid performance during pre-season testing that suggested it may be in line to dethrone Mercedes.
It arrived in Bahrain with another weapon in its arsenal though, as the team installed another fin on the floor ahead of the rear tyre (red arrow).
This fin has a distinctive curled edge that will undoubtedly have an impact on the airflow, with the vortex shed from it designed to work in harmony with the other fins already present on the floor around it.
The role of these fins has been increased for 2021, given the introduction of the floor cutout and the inability to use slots and fully enclosed holes in the floor that remains.
Each fin will have a specific role but contribute to turning airflow across and around the rear tyre in order to limit the turbulence it creates, which can be damaging to the performance of the diffuser if left untreated.
This illustration shows how quickly the team is reacting to the 2021 rule changes, with the mid-floor fin and two outwardly angled fins only added to the RB16B during the pre-season test.

Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Related video

Previous article
Alonso “expecting to struggle” in opening races of F1 return
Next article
The unconventional ways F1 launch season heightened anticipation for racing

About this article
Series | Formula 1 |
Event | Bahrain GP |
Teams | Red Bull Racing |
Author | Giorgio Piola |
The rear end overhaul that has transformed Red Bull's F1 car
Trending
Albert Park Circuit Modifications Project
Mercedes-AMG F1 Team: Bahrain GP Race Debrief
The delay that quashed Aston Martin’s last F1 venture
Aston Martin’s only previous foray into Formula 1 in the late 1950s was a short-lived and unsuccessful affair. But it could have been so different, says NIGEL ROEBUCK
Verstappen exclusive: Why lack of car-racing titles won't hurt Red Bull's ace
Max Verstappen’s star quality in Formula 1 is clear. Now equipped with a Red Bull car that is, right now, the world title favourite and the experience to support his talent, could 2021 be the Dutchman’s year to topple the dominant force of Lewis Hamilton and Mercedes?
Are we at peak F1 right now?
For many, many years Formula 1 has strived to do and to be better on all fronts. With close competition, a growing fanbase, a stable political landscape and rules in place to encourage sustainability, 2021 is on course to provide an unexpected peak
How crucial marginal calls will decide the Red Bull vs Mercedes battle in F1 2021
The longer Red Bull can maintain a performance edge over Mercedes, the better the odds will be in the team’s favour against the defending world champions. But as the Bahrain Grand Prix showed, many more factors will be critical in the outcome of the 2021 Formula 1 World Championship
How Williams’ new structure adheres to a growing F1 trend
Williams held out against the tide for many years but, as MARK GALLAGHER explains, the age of the owner-manager is long gone
When a journeyman driver's F1 career lasted just 800m
Nikita Mazepin’s Formula 1 debut at the Bahrain Grand Prix lasted mere corners before he wiped himself out in a shunt, but his financial backing affords him a full season. Back in 1993 though, Marco Apicella was an F1 driver for just 800m before a first corner fracas ended his career. Here’s the story of his very short time at motorsport’s pinnacle
The nightmare timing that now hinders Mercedes
Mercedes and Lewis Hamilton took victory at the Bahrain Grand Prix despite, for a change, not having the quickest car. But any hopes of developing its W12 to surpass Red Bull's RB16B in terms of outright speed could not have come at a worse time.
How Raikkonen's rapid rise stalled his team-mate's F1 career climb
Kimi Raikkonen’s emergence as a Formula 1 star in his rookie campaign remains one of the legendary storylines from 2001, but his exploits had an unwanted impact on his Sauber team-mate’s own prospects. Twenty years on from his first F1 podium at the Brazilian GP, here’s how Nick Heidfeld’s career was chilled by the Iceman