The F1 season began in controversy, with Red Bull accusing Aston Martin of plagiarism with some venomous ‘darts’ about the creation of its 2023 car despite the fact that the green car incorporated ideas and elements from in other teams it is different and more than Red Bull, such as Mercedes engine, gearbox and rear suspension, more Ferrari-esque front suspension and anti-energy drink sunken channels at the top of the sidepod. However, Milton Keynes pointed out the Silverstone ensemble, like one telling off a classmate to the teacher for allegedly cheating on an exam. Interestingly, after four months, the same team that complained of plagiarism may have been inspired by that very set to incorporate an Aston Martin idea into their sidepods. The world is upside down. And it is in F1 that anything can happen and there is nothing to be surprised about.
According to the prestigious German publication ‘Auto Motor und Sport’the champion team, great dominator of the championship with the unstoppable Max Verstappen, and won all the races of the year with the Dutchman (8) and his teammate ‘Checo’ Pérez (2), will introduce this weekend at the Hungarian GP of F1 2023 a new package of improvements which includes the evolution of sidepods inspired by Aston Martins.
At first glance, Aston Martin’s sidepods follow the same idea as Red Bull. Especially the green team update they introduced in Canada. But since the beginning of the season, the Silverstone team has innovated its own interpretation of this part by introducing a sunken upper channel that has slightly changed its shape in Canada, narrower and more streamlined in its latest version . Aston Martin thus adopted an idea similar to Ferrari’s famous submerged ‘sidepod’, but with its own interpretation and adaptation, not in the form of a bathtub and in a straight line.
Maybe that’s the idea that Red Bull could have ‘copied’ from the green box to improve, although it will be officially known this Friday at the Hungaroring Circuit, when the FIA announces each team’s improvements and Red Bull presents its car in the pit lane.
News to take another step
According to ‘Auto Motor un Sport’, with the full package of novelties that Red Bull will present in Hungary, the Milton Keynes team hopes to improve a few tenths. The energy drink box is more than Max Verstappen at the wheel and it could be even more if the developments work and bring the expected results.
Respond to your rivals
The penalty handed down to Red Bull for slightly exceeding the budget limit for the year 2021 resulted in a greater limit on the hours allowed in the wind tunnel and CFD simulation compared to its rivals. However, they overcame that penalty by developing the excellent base car they already had last year. Starting the course with a superior single-seater, they had no rivals and this compensated for their lower probability of progress.
The superiority is such that despite the improvements brought to the track by Ferrari, Aston Martin or Mercedes, none of them have improved the performance of a car whose main strength is its aerodynamic efficiency. It is very efficient and has lower air resistance. In the straight it’s a rocket, especially when you turn on the DRS. This allows you to save time by adding or removing wings at will depending on the type of turns. It’s fast on all kinds of tracks.
Despite this, Red Bull is not satisfied and will present a package of evolutions in Hungary which he hopes to gain about two tenths per lap more. If confirmed, Max Verstappen is not on another planet, but rather in another galaxy waiting for Aston Martin, Ferrari and Mercedes to continue development.
thinking about 2024
It must be remembered that the regulations are maintained for next year and everything that the teams can improve this year will be useful for next year. There are two options: stop the evolution of a car and focus on the 2024 car, or present the evolutions to test them on the track in 2023 thinking about the 2024 car, to see if the ideas work. According to ‘Auto Motor und Sport’, Red Bull will follow this last path and will present more parts throughout the year thinking to continue its great dominance next year.
Source: La Verdad
I’m Rose Herman and I work as an author for Today Times Live. My expertise lies in writing about sports, a passion of mine that has been with me since childhood. As part of my job, I provide comprehensive coverage on everything from football to tennis to golf.
