RED BULL RB3 Renault

   In its third year in Formula 1, the Red Bull team officially stops being regarded as a midfield outfit and transforms into a technical powerhouse. Team Principal Christian Horner, with an aggressive move on the market, assembles what many describe as a Dream Team of engineers, poaching top talent from McLaren and Renault. The key figure in laying the foundations for future dominance is undoubtedly Adrian Newey, who arrived from McLaren in 2006 but was only able from 2007 onwards to leave his signature on the new Red Bull RB3. The British genius brings with him a working philosophy based on extreme fluid dynamics, continuing to design by hand on his legendary drawing board at a time when the sport is beginning to rely heavily on computers (CFD). Also arriving from McLaren is Peter Prodromou, Newey’s long-time right-hand man and considered one of the world’s leading aerodynamicists. As Head of Aerodynamics, his task is to translate Newey’s visions into data usable in the wind tunnel. As Chief Designer, Renault provides Rob Marshall, the inventor of the mass-damper system, whose ability to optimize suspension performance makes the RB3 particularly quick in twisty sections. Mark Smith remains Technical Director, though he is replaced midway through the season by Geoff Willis, formerly of BAR and Honda, brought in to bring order to production processes and quality control, while Andrew Green continues to serve as Head of R&D.

RED BULL RB3, Mark Webber
Hungaroring, Hungarian GP 2007  

   While the Austrian team’s first two cars were essentially inherited from the previous Jaguar team, the new RB3 can be considered the first true car of a dynasty that would, within a few seasons, take Red Bull to the top of the world. Newey’s design philosophy leads to a car completely different from previous Red Bulls, with much slimmer lines and a higher, thinner nose, all miniaturized to favor airflow, with many similarities to the latest McLaren creations designed by Newey himself. The RB3’s aerodynamics represent the real technical turning point for the Milton Keynes team. The high, slender nose aims to free up as much space as possible under the chassis to channel clean airflow toward the flat floor and rear diffuser. To maximize front-end aerodynamic efficiency, the RB3 adopts a front suspension design that eliminates the “keel” beneath the nose. The front wing is fairly complex and features “upper flap” profiles (upper flaps that appear detached from the main body), designed not only to generate downforce but also to divert turbulent airflow away from the front wheels. One of Newey’s trademarks is the pursuit of an extremely tapered rear end. The RB3’s sidepods feature a very pronounced lower undercut, useful for creating an air channel that runs along the lower bodywork toward the diffuser, while the rear section of the sidepods narrows in an almost unnatural way toward the center of the car. This design, although aerodynamically excellent, leads to major overheating issues for the engine and gearbox, as the space for hot air evacuation is reduced to an absolute minimum.

RED BULL RB3, David Coulthard
Nürburgring, European GP 2007

   The RB3 is dotted with small elements designed to manage thermodynamics without compromising efficiency, such as chimneys above the sidepods to vent radiator heat, and refined aerodynamic solutions for airflow management, such as the fins alongside the engine air intake. Particularly sophisticated are the RB3’s new lateral flow deflectors. Their main function is to clean up the dirty air generated by the rotation of the front wheels using the outwash principle (pushing air outward) and, at the same time, to act as an aerodynamic funnel channeling clean air for the radiators toward the tiny sidepod inlets, as well as sealing the airflow running beneath the car. Unlike the competition, beneath the RB3’s high nose Newey designed a series of turning vanes that worked in “relay” with the bargeboards, with airflow passing directly from the nose vanes to the bargeboards in a continuous stream. Although they are masterpieces of fluid dynamics, these components make the RB3 extremely sensitive to ride-height variations, such as riding curbs or during braking and acceleration phases, causing sudden losses of aerodynamic downforce. The RB3’s composite chassis is designed to be as light as possible in order to place ballast low down, and it features push-rod suspension both front and rear, with extremely compact packaging to free up the upper area of the diffuser.

RED BULL RB3, David Coulthard
Montréal, Canadian GP 2007

   The year 2007 also marks the beginning of the historic partnership with Renault for engine supply. The French power unit is known not so much for outright power (around 740–750 hp at 19,000 rpm) as for its smoothness at low revs and its extreme compactness, which requires smaller cooling masses and allows Newey to push the sidepod design to the limit. The RB3 also uses a longitudinal 7-speed semi-automatic gearbox with a seamless-shift system (gear changes without torque interruption), but the very narrow gearbox casing, designed to favor aerodynamics, causes structural flexing that puts stress on the gears, leading to numerous retirements. The RB3 is in fact so “extreme” that drivers often complain of high-frequency vibrations, to the point that it becomes difficult even to read the numbers on the steering-wheel display. The car adopts a very pronounced “rake” setup (front very close to the ground and rear high), allowing the diffuser to work particularly well in fast corners. However, this obsessive pursuit of aerodynamic cleanliness comes at the cost of poor reliability. Because Newey wants mechanical components (radiators, gearbox, electronics) to adapt to aerodynamic shapes and not the other way around, the RB3 suffers from overheating and excessive vibrations.

RED BULL RB3, Mark Webber
Montecarlo, Monaco GP 2007

   The two race drivers, Britain’s David Coulthard and Australia’s Mark Webber, struggle to push the car to its limit, and its poor reliability (gearbox issues, hydraulic system failures, and frequent overheating) often sees them running in points-scoring positions only to be forced to park the car at the side of the track. The first seven races of the season are a true nightmare, with eight retirements (five for Coulthard and three for Webber), despite the Scot’s fifth place in Spain and the Australian’s seventh at Indianapolis. After the change initiated by Horner with the arrival of Geoff Willis, things improve in the second half of the season, at least in terms of reliability, even if results remain rather disappointing, despite Webber’s podium finish at the European Grand Prix. At the end of the season, with 24 points, Red Bull Racing finishes fifth in the Constructors’ Championship.