Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez will run a number of upgrades for the British Grand Prix weekend as they look to make it seven consecutive Formula 1 wins. The team head into the Silverstone race having made a significant adjustment to their floor as well as a number of other, lighter parts. The floor itself has undergone a number of tweaks, although some are minimal. One striking new feature of the floor is the interrupted profile of the Venturi channels (the channels that feed air under the car to generate downforce), which are no longer one continuous profile and are now divided into several sections with deflecting connecting edges (see diagram below). The function of this design is to generate a jump in pressure, which occurs at certain points of the Venturi channels.
Red Bull make changes to floor
Red Bull trialled a new floor design during the Spanish Grand Prix weekend, a floor that features a step that could be seen on the outer edge of the Venturi channels (again, see diagram below). In Silverstone, the changes to the floor are very much linked to those steps observed in Spain, with the main purpose not being to increase downforce but to reduce stall on the long Drag Reduction System (DRS) straights. That removes a large part of the downforce and drag that is present at high speed. The effect is more common at Red Bull than at their competitors, and now they are looking to take advantage.
Are Red Bull's weight loss efforts paying off?
Red Bull have also brought new bargeboards to Silverstone. These new bargeboards will allow the airflows to the Venturi ducts to be properly routed. These upgrades will make the car nearly five pounds lighter than it was at the Canadian Grand Prix, with lighter parts having been installed in several places whilst aiming to ensure the team have learned from their early-season DRS troubles, a problem caused by their push to shift weight. Red Bull's well-thought-out slimming method is now bearing fruit, with the extra weight loss worth an estimated 0.2 seconds per lap.
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