Red Bull Introduces New Sidepod Package for Improved Aero Performance

The Red Bull Racing team is stepping up its pursuit of the Formula 1 championship leader, McLaren, by introducing a new sidepod package for the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix. In Miami, the RB21 was equipped with a revised floor, and now, in Imola, the team has reshaped its sidepods to align more closely with ‘s inlet arrangement.

Redesigned Sidepod Inlets for Enhanced Aerodynamic Efficiency

The team has taken a different approach to its inlet arrangement, moving away from the recessed inlet into the undercut bodywork seen in the RB20. Instead, they have partially detached the overbite and extended the outer tip further beyond the sidepod – the mirror is now attached at this point. The actual sidepod inlet has been set back to fit in line with the additional vertical inlet seen on the sides of the chassis, creating a P-shaped inlet altogether.

Red Bull claims this design offers “a re-optimisation of the inlet, surrounding geometry and stays to gain overall aerodynamic efficiency.” The team has also registered a revised fairing for one of its rear suspension members, plus revised wheel bodywork and ducts at the rear corner of the car to further boost the RB21’s aero performance.

McLaren’s Updates and Competitor Strategies

McLaren has updates of its own, with new aerodynamic components around the rear corner of the car to offer “improved flow conditioning and overall increase in rear aerodynamic load,” per its pre-event technical notes. The team has also brought a higher-downforce rear wing to extract more load at lower speeds, complete with a high-downforce beam wing.

Ferrari has followed suit, introducing its own higher-downforce track-specific wing at the rear of the car, while also revising its rear brake scoop geometry and winglets. Mercedes, meanwhile, has focused on the front of the car, introducing a new front wing for Imola to rework the flow field conditions in which the rest of the car operates.

Midfield Battle and Team Updates

Among the midfield battle, Aston Martin, Haas, Alpine, and Racing Bulls have all introduced a variety of new parts. has registered seven changes to its AMR25 as it hopes to turn around a poor start to the year, with new floor body, edge, and diffuser components in an effort to extract more downforce from the underbody.

Haas has also revised its floor, with the purpose of ensuring the VF-25 can operate more consistently at a range of ride heights – as it found the car lost performance at the higher levels needed to contend with bumpier circuits. The new floor edge works in conjunction with the front floor contraction to ensure a cleaner flow delivery to the rear, necessitating a new expansion rate for the diffuser.

Racing Bulls has new bodywork and a new floor, which the team says offers more ‘local’ downforce without changing the flow field conditions underneath too much. In addition to the new front suspension geometry and brake ducts it registered – but didn’t use – in Miami, Alpine has a new front wing and marginally revised rear bodywork to draw more performance from its A525.