Red Bull play the imitation game with RB21 upgrade for Austrian GP

Red Bull has arrived at the Austrian Grand Prix with a new edge wing solution for the RB21 as it continues to look for performance and chase down McLaren.

It’s a similar solution to ones we’ve seen elsewhere up and down the grid for some time now too, albeit that Red Bull has a fresh twist on some of the design aspects.

F1 tech analysis: Red Bull play the imitation game with RB21 upgrade

Teams such as Ferrari, Haas and Sauber have used this L-shaped tail section within their design language this season, but we have seen a number of other teams use it in one form or another in the past too.

Rather than the simplistic tapered tail section used by Red Bull previously and by others on the grid currently, the L-shaped rear section acts more like a winglet, especially when we consider the proximity it holds to the rear tyre spat section of the floor.

The introduction of the newly designed edge wing’s rear section has also required the team to open up passage in the sidewall of the floor as the designers look to use the flow structures in that region in a more effective manner, most likely improving flow stability at varying ride heights.

This is perhaps more critical aft of this region, though, with the new design likely setting up a revised flow structure that better handles the losses that can be found here and the turbulence created by the rear tyre, with that ‘tyre squirt’ impinging on the diffuser’s performance.

The arrival of this design solution may be the first step in a new development path that the team is looking to chase during the remainder of the season.

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Or, simply, a route it has taken to overcome some inefficiencies that have crept in since they made changes to their front wing to comply with the new load and deflection tests.

Notably, Red Bull also appear to have attempted to mimic the effect created by the vertical vane that stood proud of the older edge wing design by not only having a similar solution on the outer portion of the new edge wing, albeit oriented and shaped slightly differently.

It’s also joined by a wide support bracket that will also play a role aerodynamically inboard of that.