On this point, Red Bull Racing chief engineer of car engineering, Paul Monaghan, said, ‘We’re not yet taking full advantage of the performance scope the latest Mobil 1 oil gives us. Though, much more optimisation of the power unit, aerodynamics, and car operation will be possible. When we optimise the car, we will know how much of a difference the oil can make. We are confident it can make a tangible difference in the overall performance, primarily in the cooling configuration. With the oil’s ability to withstand high temperatures, we can keep the turbo temperatures down and effectively move the engine operating temperature targets without consequence. The oil may affect the decisions made for next year’s car in areas restricted to change in 2021 under homologation rules.’
Red Bull have a range of cooling solutions on the cars using different inlet and exit configurations, which is quite common practice. ‘We can split the cooling system to treat cooling circuits independently, allowing for more tuneability,’ continues Monaghan. ‘Sometimes, the power unit engineers might ask for a bit more cooling or less. If they can handle less, we will close the bodywork up and run the car generally hotter with more aerodynamic efficiency. It is impossible to treat a set of operating parameters and car set-up in isolation as one will typically influence the other, but this is an essential input.
‘We are confident we can take more significant steps through the remainder of this season. We are on the learning curve, and the more we learn, the more we will exploit it. The new oil formulation enables huge potential and a steep development curve for our remaining 2021 campaign. The next generation of Red Bull Technology group cars could see quite a big improvement in performance once we have built up more real-world experience with it.’