Ferrari has led the leaderboard for much of the time, and Mercedes is placed as one of the favorites for its aerodynamic solutions, but few talk about Red Bull.
The world champion driver’s team is collecting a lot of data for the development of the RB18 while they wait for more news to arrive for the first round in Bahrain. In the morning a new bottom was delivered direct from Milton Keynes by truck, and it will be in the car for the final day of testing.
On Thursday, Sergio Pérez covered the distance of two and a half grand prix. The Mexican worked hard to find a set-up in an attempt to limit the effect of porpoising and prevent the front wheels from locking up under braking.
Red Bull RB18: Pitot tubes in a single-seater
Max Verstappen , for his part, did long runs in the Friday morning session, alternating it with pit stops, where Adrian Newey was very attentive in following the development of the RB18 . Engineers led by Pierre Wache have not hesitated to arm the car with the well-known sensor grills in unusual places, in addition to highly visible Pitot tubes mounted on both sides of the upper chamber. The Aero Rakes were somewhat more hidden, but they could be seen in the bottom radiator inlet and, above all, in the rear extractor of the diffuser.
Red Bull RB18 sensor diffuser detail
Adrian Newey ‘s car is in hiding, and the Milton Keynes team can quietly work in anonymity without too much pressure. It would be a big mistake to underestimate the value of the RB18, the car with perhaps the most extreme mechanical solutions, as can be seen with the pull-rod front suspension.
It is a true spectacle and, most importantly, it works to give mobility on corner entry and aggressive curbing, with a design created to give an aerodynamic advantage by exploiting kinematics like the first flow diverters.
Red Bull RB18 pull-rod front suspension
One of the concerns that arose in Bahrain was fuel consumption, as the E10 fuel seemed to feel more than expected from the hunger of the Honda engine, as well as losing some horsepower.
