The long-awaited race in Japan has arrived! After a short break, the team had enough time to prepare their first upgrade of the season and try to get closer to the top.
Suzuka is a legendary course known for its unique layout and weather conditions, and always provides great entertainment. But what we want to highlight here is a very important upgrade that the team has prepared.
Suzuka – where downforce matters most
Suzuka is a very fast circuit and is the only circuit on the current calendar where races are held in a “figure eight” layout. It features many high-speed corners that generate huge lateral forces on both driver and tires. Therefore, it is an extremely demanding course where even the slightest mistake is not tolerated and the driver’s concentration is maximized.
These lateral forces will result in significant tire wear, even though Pirelli is preparing its hardest set of tires for this weekend. With two pit stops expected, it will be a strategic battle for the teams.
F1 returns to Japan during cherry blossom season 🌸 Suzuka represents a challenge for tires, not only in terms of the forces and loads they are subjected to, but also in terms of wear. #Pirelli #Fit4F1 pic.twitter.com/VjFqbhkSFT
— Pirelli Motorsport (@pirellisport) April 1, 2024
The team will try to find the best aerodynamic solution for the grip and high speed required in high-speed corners. What’s also interesting is that he only has one DRS zone here, so his slightly more aggressive aero package could be an issue in the race.
Red Bull innovates again with new inlet
There seems to be no end to Red Bull’s dominance as they continue to improve their cars and set new boundaries.
The most impressive upgrade is the new inlet located below the edge of the harrow. Initially, this intake appeared to be responsible for directing air towards the rear of the car, specifically towards the beam wing.
Given the much-needed downforce, the beam wing design can have a decisive impact on the performance of the floor and rear wing and must be as efficient as possible this weekend.
Red Bull stores RB20 refrigerators.
Red Bull has added cooling scoops to the RB20 sidepods. #f1 pic.twitter.com/wwrHxX4mK7
— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) April 4, 2024
However, a more likely explanation is that Red Bull wants to change the way the power unit is cooled. Compared to the previous race weekend, there are no more cooling openings on the sides of the car, as you can see in the image below.
Red Bull runs Anyadido dos Entradas Pero Hata Padras Salidas in Lateral Tapa motor. De todas manelas, las entradas en zone reposacabezas siguen.
Red Bull added two inlets, but removed the outlet on the engine cover side. For now, the headrest socket is still there. https://t.co/bW5mJvLzCa pic.twitter.com/PLCxbPIgfj
— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) April 4, 2024
This indicates that the engineers were not satisfied with the performance of the previous design and decided to add a new air intake for cooling.
In addition, you can notice that the shape of the “shoulder” of the car is more pronounced.
To further improve airflow through the new intakes, Red Bull added another aerodynamic element to the car’s mirrors. We believe this small detail helps improve airflow over the top of the sidepod.
Enjoy the Red Bull adventure. Avoid deflectors. #f1 https://t.co/AlUpYQ7gGO pic.twitter.com/PEY8TRegKM
— Albert Fabrega (@AlbertFabrega) April 4, 2024
Hello, are you Aston Martin?
Aston Martin got the 2024 season off to a much worse start compared to the previous season. Nevertheless, the team seems to be on the right track in terms of technological advancement.
The biggest change on Aston Martin is undoubtedly the sidepod geometry, which has new details added, something we saw on both Aston Martin and Red Bull last season.
Where this detail is added is very important from an aerodynamic point of view, as the air flow can easily separate from the surface of the car.
AMR24 Melbourne vs Suzuka upgrade comparison pic.twitter.com/kOG8GKCkLZ
— Aston Martin F1 News (@AMF1News) April 4, 2024
When designing aerodynamics, we always think about moving the airflow closer to the surface of the car. This is because each separation creates additional resistance and disrupts airflow.
Therefore, the goal of Aston Martin engineers was to increase the surface area of the sidepod in that area and somehow be able to maintain airflow for longer.
The image below shows the car during pre-season testing, and you can see this problem area more clearly. The lack of fluorescent color in the flow-with indicates that there is air separation at this point.
Aston Martin AMR24/Analisi Flow Viz: Upwash Corposo Nella Zone Infaire del Terraio.Outwash Al Termine Delle Pants
🖋️@berrageiz – @niccoloarnerich https://t.co/SmUslpydP7
— FUnoAnalisiTecnica ⚙️ (@FUnoAT) February 22, 2024
In addition, Aston Martin has changed some details on the edges of the car’s floor, presumably with the aim of better adapting it to Japanese circuits.
Additionally, the shape of the rear of the engine cover has been changed to improve airflow around the beam wing.
As already mentioned, the aerodynamics of the floor and rear part of the car will be very important this weekend…
Read next: Red Bull’s Japanese GP upgrade revealed amid intense speculation over Zeropod
