Why Red Bull has abandoned its Mercedes-style gulleys for now

Red Bull has fast-tracked a substantial update for Formula 1’s Hungarian Grand Prix, with changes moving it away from the Mercedes-style engine cover gulleys it has raced so far.

The new parts are wide-ranging, with the most visual aspect – a new engine cover and sidepod layout – only being run on Max Verstappen’s car this weekend.

The changes appear to be a mix of circuit-specific modifications, because of the high-downforce hot conditions expected at the Hungaroring, and longer-term developments including a new floor and other aerodynamic components.

The new layout does away with the high-haunched engine cover design the team adopted for 2024, which took inspiration from the Mercedes-style engine cover gulleys the German manufacturer previously raced with.

Watch: View from the Paddock – F1 News – Hungarian Grand Prix Thursday

It instead returns to a more familiar sharp drop-off from the back of the halo fairing, which results in a more shrink-wrapped layout around the midriff before flaring out once again at the rear cooling outlet.

The team has listed the new engine cover and sidepod layout as ‘circuit-specific’ within the FIA’s car presentation document, with some of these items expected to offer an uplift in performance at low-speed, high-downforce venues.

This means it is possible that the team could shift around with its choice of configuration over the remainder of 2024 depending on the layout it encounters each weekend – so it is not necessarily the end of the Mercedes gulleys.

Red Bull is certainly hopeful that what it has brought this weekend is something that it can have on tap from here on in when needed.

Chief engineer Paul Monaghan said: “It’s linked to temperature and the track nature. So we’ll see how it pans out here, won’t we?

“If the lap times are poor in relative terms, we’ll have to consider. But our belief is we’re going forward with this, and thanks for everyone in the factory who has done a stunning job, as we’ve got it here earlier than we expected.”

Red Bull Racing RB20 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Red Bull Racing RB20 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

The main rear cooling outlet is also supplemented by flared openings in the engine cover just ahead of this.

The topographical changes to the bodywork in the midriff region are made possible by alterations done internally that also include the removal of the halo inlet scoop.

As part of this overhaul, the boxy periscope-style arrangement (right, above) prescribed for its previous cooler layout appears to have been swapped out, with the louvred panel on the side of the engine cover reprofiled as a consequence.

As can be seen in the bodywork outside the garage, prior to being installed on both cars, the modifications made to the engine cover have also coincided with a change in shape and length for the sidepod gullies.

The new waterslide-style section (right, below) now begins quite a lot earlier, whilst the flank sits higher, in order to both engage the airflow and entice it into the coke bottle region downstream.

Red Bull Racing RB20 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

The new package also includes a revised front wing layout, reprofiled lower front wishbone fairing, halo fairing and rear brake duct fence, as the team looks to optimise flow and cooling from front to back on the RB20.

The team noted in the car presentation document that all four front wing elements have been revised to increase load without destabilizing flow stability.

However, perhaps more importantly, the adjuster mechanism has once again returned to the outboard position, likely in an effort to provide a different load profile as speed builds.

The nose tip has also been subtly modified, with a more rounded shape preferred to the square profile formerly used by the team.

Red Bull Racing RB20 technical detail

Photo by: Giorgio Piola

Notably, as a precursor to the tests that will be conducted by the FIA from the Belgian GP onwards, the team has also placed reference targets on the front wing endplate and modified its nose-mounted camera housings to capture footage of any deflection that’s occurring whilst out on track.