The Red Bull RB18 is the reference single-seater in Formula 1: out of nine GPs it has won seven, six with Max Verstappen leading the world championship standings, and one with Sergio Perez. The Milton Keynes team adopts solutions that are leading the teams towards a technical convergence that indicates how the choices made by Adrian Newey make school and become a must followed also by the other designers.
The RB18 has so many distinctive motifs, because the design of the first ground effect single-seater designed to return to the ground effect is certainly very sophisticated. Red Bull, we discovered last week in Canada, has collaborated with Brembo to reduce overheating in the wheel corners caused by the carbon baskets that must remain closed.
Red Bull RB18 brake caliper detail with anti-heat treatment
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
On the aluminum lithium calipers made by the Bergamo multinational, the technicians of the world champion team applied a treatment, easily recognizable by the darker color, which is anti-heat, while the disc cover, which was made of metal, became a composite with a padding in insulating material.
Detail of the Red Bull RB18 brake caliper without the treatment
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The attempt is to reduce the temperatures in an area of the car which during the season has shown weak points with overheating, but there is also a clear desire to restore value to those flows of fresh air with perhaps an aerodynamic function, which FIA hoped to have abolished with the adoption of wheel covers.
Red Bull Racing RB18, technical detail of the brake fluid reservoir of the two separate systems
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
Red Bull has also worked on the braking system: on the RB18 overhanging the front part of the frame you can see a rectangular tray that contains in a single container, the oil that separates the two systems (front and rear). The casing is more rigid and lighter than the two usual trays we were used to.
Red Bull RB18, technical detail of the tank that powers the Brake by wire
Photo by: Giorgio Piola
The appearance of a tray in the right belly, placed in a well-protected area, a little further back than the upper anti-intrusion cone, also aroused some curiosity. What is it about? The mystery is solved: it is the reservoir of hydraulic fluid that feeds the Brake by wire. Red Bull has developed its own system which continues to evolve successfully …
