2012 Red Bull RB8

[Hampus Andersson]

Edited for below,

 

[Hampus Andersson]

I wonder where that flows to.

I don´t think it flows anywhere, some say it would create an air-cushion effectively making the flow over the nose as smooth as if it were no bump at all.

Interview with Adrian Newey,

Does recent success add to the pressure to maintain it or lessen it, as you have continuity?​

The last few years have been really good, really successful; it’s been an incredible journey to get there. It’s the fourth evolution of the RB5 this year, so obviously the pressure is to try and stay there if we possibly can. 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.​

Do you find that frustrating or more of a challenge? ​

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.​

How have you coped with the removal of the exhaust blown diffuser for RB8?​

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 other major change is the height of the nose. Did that present difficulties?​

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.​

Would you say RB8 is still an evolution of RB7 or did you have to rethink many aspects?​

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.​

Do you simply hate to lose or is the thing that keeps you coming back the process of solving the design puzzle created by the regulations?​

I’ve been lucky enough through my career to have had a good amount of success and people often ask will I retire soon or whatever, the answer is that as long as I keep enjoying it then I’d like to keep going. What really fascinates me about it is the technical challenge, the fact that we’ve moved a very high, fast pace, so every two weeks we’re out being evaluated, which if we’re doing well is great, and if we’re doing poorly is painful, so at least you know where you are and you get to see the product of your work very quickly. So I really enjoy working with my colleagues, my fellow engineers here at Milton Keynes, with the drivers of course at the track and it’s a job that has many facets and many varieties that you always get that immediate feedback and that really motivates me about the job.​

In Sebastian you’ve got a driver who seems to be getting even better. What do you expect from this season?
​

I think we have a great driver line up. Sebastian, obviously double World Champion now, I think matured tremendously through last year. In 2010 he drove a great season, showed immense talent and thoroughly deserved to be World Champion at the end of it. It was a rocky year, he was a very young lad, showed incredible determination and ability to learn from his mistakes. Like all people he made mistakes through that year, but he never made them twice and I think that ability to learn from his mistakes and to always be searching and trying to improve really showed in his driving last year. He really made no mistakes last year, he was aggressive when he needed to be, he was patient when he needed to be, he really showed incredible maturity and there is no reason to think that won’t continue.​

And in Mark you have a driver with a point to make after a difficult 2011. Do you think Mark will find RB8 an easier task then RB7?​

Mark had a rocky ride last year. Through his 2010 he had a very good season and he was unlucky in many ways not to be World Champion at the end of that year. 2011 he initially I think struggled a little bit to understand how to use the Pirelli tyres. It took a little bit of time for him to adapt to them. He’s had a great winter, he’s tremendously fit, he’s really looking forward to the start of the season and I think he’ll be one to look out for this year I hope.​

Is part of what keep you coming back the process of evolving this team? Is it still a work in progress?​

The team is still a relatively young team, it’s come a long way in a very short period and we had a great deal of success over the last two or three years but we still occasionally show our youth, we still occasionally make mistakes which hopefully is like the swan that looks graceful on the top but there is lot of action going on underneath. So we’re still learning, but I think the fact that we are a young team with tremendous spirit and determination is great, which means that we do learn and we do try to evaluate and to continue to criticise ourselves and see how we can improve. I would hope with the confidence of the last few years and our steady improvement, we can keep maintaining and keep learning.​

How do you approach that moment of first dropping the car on track? Are you quietly confident or is there a dread of what other teams will bring?​

People often ask just before the new car runs, what’s the expectation for this year and my answer is always, I have absolutely no idea. We know what we have done through the winter, we know how we have developed the car but we have absolutely no idea what everybody else has done, with the regulation changes and restrictions then it’s quite a different game to the end of last year. Have we made as much improvement as others, more, less? It’s impossible to know. There is always trepidation when we start preseason testing and preseason testing itself is very difficult to read from. If we are hopelessly uncompetitive to another team then we will probably realise it, if there’s two or three of us that look broadly similar then it will be very difficult to pick actually who is the quickest out of those. So it won’t be until we get to Melbourne qualifying that we’ll really get more of a feel for it.​

Finally, how does the OBE feel?​

To be recognised by the Queen with an OBE is very flattering, I’m particularly proud of the fact that it’s for engineering achievements. I think so often engineers in the UK are overlooked and that’s a shame given our proud roots through the Victorian area of developing industry and technology engineering. I feel real pride actually that I’ve been awarded that and a tremendous thank you to everybody who feels that’s been appropriate. I’ve had an enormously enjoyable career and to be recognised as an engineer gives a very good feeling.​

 

[Eric Parker]

I am disappointed, I expected more from Newey.

 

[Diego Lopez]

wait so....are we judging the looks? lol if so this is uglier than the Ferrari, I just hope it doesn bring in the performance, or else Mclaren will have to go that route too. but yeah I hardly belive this is the RB8...they just presented a RB7 with prolly a diff nose and a development front wing from last year, I highly doubt this is actually the RB8 at all. bunch of hacks RB and Newey are...they should b banned from any racing lol.

"Regulation changes I enjoy, regulation restrictions I rather lament."

Lol its like me saying "I enjoy corner cutting, corner overtake restrictions I rather lament"

its ok Newey, when admin sees a hack he pinches them so thats for u

 

[Hampus Andersson]

Mclaren vs everyone else had the same setup last year. They ran low nose the rest ran high-noses.

 

[GAIAjohan]

Still better than the Ferrari. But looks like everyone except Mclaren were too lazy to rework the front, and instead chopped the top part down to fit in with the regulations.

Could you give an explanation (with proven aerodynamic analysis) why you think all other teams got it wrong, and McLaren got it right?

F1 cars are not there to be beautiful. They're there to be fast.

But if you can't give an explanation with analysis, I think you should be the last one saying the engineers are 'too lazy to rework the front'.

 

[GAIAjohan]

Im pretty sure the McLaren will get the same kind of nose as well since the display car was fake.

 

[Alex Avdyushin]

Source: F1 Planet forum


Interesting solution. Doesn't look nearly as good as the McLaren but better than a nearly vertical step on that Ferrari. It looks like a step with a function rather than a step because there just had to be one.

 

[GAIAjohan]

We don't even know whether the nose of the McLaren is "real"

 

[Eric Parker]

We don't know if the world we live in is real or just a figment of our imagination either.

 

[Hampus Andersson]

We don't even know whether the nose of the McLaren is "real"

The nose is real. It was just diffuser, front/rear wings and exhaust, that was fake or will change.

The nose has to take into consideration the whole tub so it will stay low. As it did in 2011 as well.

 

[GAIAjohan]

Who says the whole car is not just a standard bodyshell to mislead the competition?
While they have the real car with the high nose etc in the wind tunnel and/or development spaces?

 

[Eric Parker]

Isn't it past evidence that AN only designs cars that win 2 championships in a row then they are obsolete designs? Williams 92/93, McLaren 98/99, and possibly RBR 10,11.

 

[GAIAjohan]

I'm pretty sure with Senna on the wheel, the Williams of '94 could've won the championship..
The fact an average driver like Damon Hill came kinda close to Schumacher says a lot.

The '94 Williams was just bad in the beginning, but during the season it became better than the Benetton.

 

[Hampus Andersson]

Who says the whole car is not just a standard bodyshell to mislead the competition?
While they have the real car with the high nose etc in the wind tunnel and/or development spaces?

There´s a bigger chance that the world will go under in 2012.

It is the real car but certain parts deliberately covered up or replaced by dummy fixes.
And some parts will change or evolve before the first race.

 

[Diego Lopez]

Isn't it past evidence that AN only designs cars that win 2 championships in a row then they are obsolete designs? Williams 92/93, McLaren 98/99, and possibly RBR 10,11.

well spotted well spotted....now that I think about it...after 99 the car was crap. Lets hope this pattern continues

btw if we are to belive the showcasings so far are the real cars....then u need to take a closer look. they are not. Teams are very secretive about their cars...this is just a dog and pony show. THe only team to have no followed this so far is Ferrari, a good example last year, we saw the same crap from presentation all teh way to the first races of the season...but lets hope this RB8 is slow as hell, if its fast,....then I hope its made for Webber. Again after Monza 2010 the car chassis was designed for Vettel likings....even Webber said he didnt like the new Chassis....tisk tisk tisk...Hope we can have a team that have both their drivers win WC in the same team while being in that team.

 

[Chris Jenkins]

Lets hope so

 

[Sérgio Marques]

Is just me or this front reminds me some sexual objects?

 

[GAIAjohan]

It's you

 

[Ho3n3r]

Could you give an explanation (with proven aerodynamic analysis) why you think all other teams got it wrong, and McLaren got it right?

F1 cars are not there to be beautiful. They're there to be fast.

But if you can't give an explanation with analysis, I think you should be the last one saying the engineers are 'too lazy to rework the front'.

Just my opinion, I'm not a pro by any means.

No need to be condescending about it. That's just rude.