Almost two weeks on from an inconclusive launch held by the team to showcase their 2022 look, Red Bull's RB18 has broken cover at Barcelona with a number of interesting features. Arguably the most striking of these are the heavily sculpted sidepods, which are notably missing a fair chunk of bodywork for this first morning of testing. According to RacingNews365.com 's new technical contributor, Paolo Filisetti, this design allows for a very large front section of the car's floor, as Red Bull look to claw back some of the downforce that F1's new-for-2022 regulations are likely to have cut.
The Adrian Newey-penned design also features a notable hole in the floor, a feature Filisetti believes is more related to providing a cooling function for the electronics than serving as an aerodynamic aid.
Looking at the front of the RB18, an opening is clearly visible in the tip of the nose, suggesting that this is the inlet for the S-duct air intake that has been widely used in F1 since 2012.
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