Everything You Need to Understand About Insane Red Bull Vertical Inlets That Has F1 World Talking

Red Bull was the last team to launch their 2024 car, and it looks like the RB20 was worth the wait. The Austrian team has come up with a groundbreaking design idea for their latest car. As seen in the latest images of the car, it looks like they are opting for two vertical inlets on the car’s sidepods. Should the move fetch positive results, the aerodynamic benefits would be endlessly significant.

The design looks rather straightforward, but it is much more complex than meets the eye. There are two very narrow vertical inlets on the sidepods, leaving plenty of room for the corner undercut. Once the air is in, it will follow a Ferrari-style S-duct way out.

 

It seems Red Bull aimed to achieve mass airflow, and the design shows they were able to do so. The top of the undercut features the radiator inlet, doing away with last year’s inlet, which had increased height. Their radiator inlet philosophy was simple for 2024, and that was to extend the top surface. Furthermore, the entire duct will feature (primarily) an air-to-air turbo intercooler, ensuring the car’s internal parts maintain optimum temperatures.

 

Another master stroke by the design department came in the form of their front suspension setup. With the pull rod, the track rod, and the top & lower wishbones deflecting air, the RB20 features part of the airflow on the lower half of the chassis. Not only will this increase the car’s aerodynamic efficiency, but also aid in further cooling. Overall, not only will this move keep the car cooler, but also more planted, allowing it to perhaps be even faster and sharper than 2023.

Most people think there was no need for Red Bull to move away from their previous philosophy. However, with a potentially revolutionary design, the team wants to set a new benchmark. The new design might easily invite unwanted problems to the Red Bull camp this year. But that seems highly unlikely, especially given their grasp on the latest regulations.

Fans and experts react to the design change in the latest Red Bull car

Apart from surprising the fans with the design change, Red Bull also left experts in awe of the latest innovation.

Popular F1 Journalist and Internet personality Matt Gallagher expressed his fears of Max Verstappen going unbeaten in 2024.

Several fans also spoke about the genius Adrian Newey while giving Red Bull full advantage for 2024.

Should the latest innovation work in the real world, Red Bull will have a huge advantage over the rest of the grid. After the performances of 2023, the opinion was that Red Bull won’t be able to reciprocate it. However, there seems to be a change in the tide, given the vertical inlet concept.