Adrian Newey has been talking about the new Red Bull-Renault RB8.
“It’s the fourth evolution of the RB5 this year, so obviously the pressure is to try and stay there if we possibly can,” he said. “It’s a difficult task, we have lost the exhaust technology with the restriction exhaust outlet position that we were able to develop and perhaps be ahead of the pack on in the last couple of years, that led to a big re think over the winter. Whether that will affect us more than other people is difficult to know of course. We designed the RB7, last year’s car, around that exhaust position and were probably the only people to do so, so it may be that we’ve lost more than other people through that. Only time will tell, it will be good to get out to do some testing and to see where we get to.
“Regulation restrictions like the lost exhaust are a bit frustrating in truth, because they are exactly that, they are restrictions, they’re not giving new opportunities or revenues particularly, they’re just closing a door. Regulation changes I enjoy, regulation restrictions I rather lament.
“RB7 was designed around the exhaust, this year knowing that the exhaust position from last year would be taken away, we’ve had to go back and look at how we developed the car through the last one and two years with the side exit exhaust and try and, if you like, make sure that the routes we had taken that were only suitable for that exhaust position we now had to re-evaluate. Probably one of the key things there is the rear ride height. The exhaust allowed us to run a high rear ride height, it’s much more difficult without that to sustain a high rear height so we have to go back down and have to redevelop the car around that lower ride height.
“The restriction nose height which is a maximum height just in front of the front bulkhead hasn’t really changed the chassis shape very much. We’ve kept more or less the same chassis shape, but had to drop the nose just in front of the front bulkhead, which, in common with many other teams, has led us to I think I’d probably say a slightly ugly looking nose. We’ve tried to style it as best we can, but it’s not a feature you would choose to put in were it not for the regulation.
“I’d say RB8 is the fourth generation of what started with the 2009 car, the RB5. So I guess this is the great grandson of that car.”
It gets said every year recently but surely there should be a Newey Restriction limiting how much time he’s allowed to think about these things…
Just for the purposes of having an enjoyable season I hope he’s messed up quite a bit this year. Not enough to ruin the Red Bull chances, but enough to keep it interesting…
I do think the racing will be closer.
Are you the individual who was talking about the “Newey Brain Hour (NBH)” a month or so ago?
If so… I found the term to be genius.
I call smoke & mirrors on his ‘styling’ comment. There’s almost definitely a tiny vent there, based on the pictures appearing on the web.
Its not the only car with a vent around that area. Red Bull seems to have one in front of the hump and pics of Saubers car seem to show one just behind the hump.
I was prepared to see a car that looked similar to the new McLaren. I wonder what McLaren is thinking now that a majority of the cars have gone with the same platypus look…
I wonder if it will work to their advantage? Surely their car must have less drag… but does the “hump” on the duck billed nose generate any downforce? So many thoughts…
A slightly frustrated Adrian Newey might be good news for the rest of the field! Thanks, Bernie & Co.!
Getting used to the new F1 styling now … Who ‘nose’ ? It may be the right way to go :0)
Another Donald Duck car, if you painted the whole field white I bet you would be hard pressed to identify any apart from the McLaren.
Wouldn’t that be Kate’s ugly great granddaughter?