Red Bull: The Once And Future King
When Sebastian Vettel crossed the line victorious at the Indian Grand Prix, it meant something special to Red Bull technical chief Adrian Newey. As Newey broke down in tears of joy, one couldn’t help but recall his walk through the paddock just hours before sporting an all-knowing and condescending grin. It was clear to see from his glowing expression that everything his rivals were toiling so hard to invent, he had already perfected.
With all the buzz over Ferrari’s “new” flexing front wing, it is easy to forget that – for Newey and Red Bull – that is old technology. They had mastered the flexible – and certified legal – front wing back in 2010. Now Ferrari is openly trying to imitate it as part of its 2012 development program. The sparks flying from Massa’s front wing told the story of how far they have to go. Meanwhile, Newey and Red Bull continue to disappear into the distance.
In short, every Formula 1 team on the grid is desperately trying to take a bite out of Red Bull’s technology and development lead. But they are all losing.
Nowhere is Red Bull’s dominance more apparent than in their development of the exhaust blown diffuser. Though banned for 2012, those who mastered it and moved on in 2011 will have an advantage under the new regulations. And no team has mastered it like Red Bull. For them, it is old technology. They have been there and done that. And the news gets worse for those teams currently playing catch up. Just as a few appear to be getting a grip on the art of exhaust blowing, the FIA has clamped down hard on a few loopholes potentially making the technology totally unusable in 2012.
Rumors from the paddock abound lately about exhaust collector tanks and directing gases through the back wings. These rumors have inspired the FIA to effectively forbid any off-throttle exhaust blowing by way of stringent engine mapping limitations to take effect in 2012. More than one F1 boss – including McLaren’s Martin Whitmarsh and Renault’s Eric Boullier – has expressed frustration with these regulations and how they are wreaking havoc on their 2012 engineering plans.
“You have to make a decision now on car concepts and it is already too late,” Boullier told Autosport’s Jonathan Noble. ”Some teams like ours have already started producing concepts of the car, so the concept has been finalised weeks ago. We need to stop changing the regulations all the time.”
If all of this sounds a bit like sour grapes to you, join the club.
All the while Adrian Newey walks the paddock with that Cheshire grin. A grin inspired by how dominant his Red Bull team currently is and how far its rivals must go to even begin catching up.