It may be a temporary or special livery but I have to say that I really like it. The official livery will be revealed at the first test of the season. Regardless, here is your chance to see the new Aston Martin-Red Bull Racing-TAG Heuer RB14.
Red Bull Press Release:
New bodywork regulations always dominate the news cycle in the launch season – but 2018 has a bigger acreage of change than most years with the introduction of the Halo and the new exclusion zones on the rear of the car that effectively remove shark fins, monkey seats and T-wings. Some years it’s difficult for the casual viewer to differentiate the new car from the old: that isn’t going to be a problem this time around.
That said, the technical regulations haven’t changed hugely for 2018. Installing the Halo has been a challenge – mostly in terms of building a chassis strong enough to accommodate it and pass a brutal homologation test – but the rest of the regs have been comparatively stable. That’s the primary reason we’re able to launch earlier than usual.
The pattern of the last few years has been to launch ‘aggressively late’. This has allowed the design department the maximum amount of time to add goodness to the car before the cut-off point at which the design is frozen and a launch car produced. It’s been not uncommon to have the car finished, fired up for the first time and shipped to Spain for the start of testing all on the same day.
It serves a purpose – but you wouldn’t do it if you didn’t have to, and this year we didn’t have to. It’s preferable to finish the car early and deal with any snags now, when the car is on a track a short drive from the factory, rather than using up one of our eight ultra-precious test days doing the same at the Circuit de Catalunya.
We’ll be filming at Silverstone and the footage will give fans an early-season fix across our channels before testing proper begins next week. Alongside the formal group tests, teams are allowed to conduct two of these promotional events each year, within strict guidelines that limit running to 100km and mandate the use of a specific tyre compound developed by Pirelli for this type of running.
Basically, Daniel’s not going to be setting any records at Silverstone – but it’s an incredibly valuable exercise nonetheless.
Are those diving boards (wings) to the left and right of the drivers head (best seen in the first photo below and behind the mirrors)!?
Its a bit difficult to figure out the geometry of those diving boards, how they relate to the ‘bargeboards’ on the leading edge of the floor.
In the last picture they appear to be wings, warping out from the top of the side pod.
Not as stylish as the cowls on the 2017 Ferrari SF70H, but since its Red Bull, we’d have to assume they’re an improvement.
Now the RB14 has its own interpretation of the 2017 Ferrari designed side-pod intake (air over the front upright). Re the wings level with the driver head, those are part of the various “air conditioners” that are used from the front wing backwards up to the rear wing. The first part of the car that hits/pushes through the air is the front wing, as such it conditions the air over most of the rest of the car, winglets, bargeboards and many other pieces are used to condition/control/direct the resultant air leaving the front wing to work best over the rest… Read more »
Its interesting that RBR have raised the top wishbone to the top of the wheel, but also raised the height of the sidepod intake.
You’d think it would be, high intake / low wishbone (like Ferrari), or low intake / high wishbone (like Mercedes).
It will probably make more sense when we see the cars more clearly, without the cammo.
The high top wishbone was adopted by both RBR and Mercedes last year as they both used (air under the front upright) model aero with low side-pods.
Suddenly, I’m looking at a blue-tinted film noir.
Just a question on the tire compound… is it a special compound or just an older specification? I ask because I could see a special compound being do-able for dry running, but to have inters and wets also seems to be a lot of work for Pirelli for the teams to do 100kms. Additionally, the tires shown on the red bull are the standard blue colored tires (have we run out of colors for special tires).
Pirelli is required to manufacture an additional tyre compound that is not intended for competition. this will be supplied to teams for use in demonstration events to prevent teams from using demonstration events as informal and illegal testing.
Looks like RBR 2018 have very high rake this year, could also be a longer wheelbase then last year from the look of the rear ride height.
Last year”- FERRARI, front height=17mm. rear height=120mm. rake=1.55 dgree.
McLaren, front height=14mm. rear height=137mm. rake=2.05dgree.
RBR, front height=20mm. rear height=123mm. rake=1.58 dgree.
NOTE, front height measured at end of front splitter. rear height measured at end of diffuser lowed edge. the longer the wheel base the higher the rear height.
Have you seen that extreme rake from other photos Sunny?
In the one photo here that shows rake, it looks like the car could be braking.
But I wouldn’t be surprised if they were adding more rake, they’ll be competing with McLaren’s best chassis on the grid, with the same p.u pushing them.
I wonder if RBR have figured out another way to achieve Front to Rear suspension interconnection, so they can manage that rake.
Yes i have seen that photo and quite some more and i do not think the car was under hard braking, there was no high speed runs or hard braking in those conditions. As i said the car have high rake, but this rake can be more pronounced with a longer wheelbase because using a longer wheelbase the rear height is always higher.
I’d imagine that with a longer wheelbase, the longer floor would give greater downforce without increasing the rake.
I was reading on another site, that the design features smaller sidepods, air intakes and nose than previous designs.
So maybe they are pushing for extra downforce (longer floor, more rake) and then trying to reduce drag by minimising the cross section.
Yes RBR sidepods air intake are small.
The longer wheelbase low rake for more downforce route was the model chosen by mercedes last year.
Me thinks that RBR has just refined last year’s car here and there, most of the car is the same as last year.
Hydraulics are still used but interconnection/s and self level (ride height) are not permitted.
But have they found a new way to circumvent that rule? I’ll bet they’re looking very hard for ways to do that, to help them manage the aero download in a predictable way.
“If someone “circumvents” or try to “circumvent” a rule or restriction, they avoid having to obey the rule or restriction. in a clever and perhaps dishonest way”. in such cases the rule makers out to go down on the rule breaker like a ton.
Danny Ric went in the wall after a few km’s, they weren’t able to complete the full 100 km but were satisfied so far.
TOBI GRUNER:- “According to our info’s, the rumors about the new red bull RB14 having a little shunt during yesterday’s shakedown at Silverstone are true. Damaged front wing, nose and floor”.
GOOGEL “Red Bull contender hits the track at Silverstone-youtube”.
I will ask the community here to hold me accountable for the 2018 F1 season, since I am officially saying that DESPITE loathing the very THOUGHT of the VISUALS that the HALO device will result in…I am beyond relieved and slightly pleased to see the design implementation feathered into the livery of both the Red Bull and the Renault design. If I feel this way about Ferrari and Merc, I might smile an authentic smile, not one produced from bitter disappointment and irony.
Personally, I’d really like to see one of the teams use a day-glo orange or yellow to make the Halo really stand out.
Hopefully FI will make theirs Hot Pink.