Red Bull Racing RB19 Sidepod Intake Update

Sidepod intake dimension update for 2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix

2023 Azerbaijan Grand Prix Free Practice spots an update on the sidepod intake design for the RB19. Red Bull Racing have raised the overall height of its base sidepod intake. They have also increased the intake width to compensate for the reduced height of the intake to maintain total airflow for cooling. In general, Baku is a high speed track so Formula One cars can run a smaller intake cooling. There is a possibility that the total cooling dimension on the RB19 for Baku is slightly reduced for aerodynamic gains.

One clear advantage for doing this is an increase in the size of the sidepod undercut, this is why the modifications are height based. This means that the update will increase the accumulation of airflow within the undercut so more airflow can be discharged from the undercut to work the floor edges, inner rear wheel wing elements and diffuser sideplate area even more to enhance downforce. This increase in ground effect will allow them to reduce chord angle for direct downforce elements and reduce drag to downforce ratio, gaining a faster car while not losing too much on downforce.