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Why Red Bull is Less-Competitive in the Race

With Red Bull Racing having secured their tenth one-two front-row “lockout” in 23 races, teams and fans alike have searched high and low for an explanation to where the Milton Keynes-based squad finds its unequalled qualifying pace. A twist in the understanding remains; why does the advantage that the RB7 holds in qualifying seem to “disappear” during the race? Whilst the mathematics may be far from simple, perhaps the root of the team’s advantage is relatively clear.

The team’s effective use of the Drag Reduction System (the “DRS”) has been well (and perhaps overly) documented. From a spectator viewpoint, it is clear that the RB7 has been designed to provide a greater reduction of drag when the DRS is activated, compared to the competition of Ferrari and McLaren. However, to determine that such an impressive margin is mostly down to the use of a relatively-standard aerodynamic piece is perhaps short-sighted and has, for many, become the easiest – and subsequently the accepted – answer.

Fundamentally, Red Bull Racing’s qualifying advantage lies in the optimisation of the use of “retarded ignition”. For those not wishing to Google the definition, it relates to the manipulation of engine exhaust gas output when the driver is not actively using the accelerator pedal. These “off-throttle exhaust gasses” are used by most teams in Formula One at the present, and by all of the front-running teams. Red Bull’s introduction of the concept into the series provided them with a physical lap time advantage, leaving the opposition to develop their own systems. Whilst the majority of the field started long-ago to catch the Red Bulls and design a superior system, the advantage has since been maintained by the Austrian team - so much so that the RB7 is able to maintain 95-100% of its exhaust gas output when the drivers are off-throttle. This towers above much of the opposition, who at the best of times are believed to be able to exert 70-80% of normal exhaust gas output when off-throttle.

However, greater engine activity means greater fuel usage. Teams going into qualifying will generally be found to be running the minimum fuel required; that being enough to set an out-lap, a hot-lap and an in-lap. This demands a reduction of the use of retarded ignition on a single lap. Red Bull, alternatively, moved in the opposite direction.

Red Bull’s qualifying runs rely largely on the “blown diffuser” and off-throttle exhaust-gas release. Fundamentally: Both Vettel and Webber travel out of the pit-lane with enough fuel for well-over one qualifying lap. The penalty for a lap of fuel is estimated to be roughly one to one-and-a-half tenths of a second in a single lap. However, at 100% off-throttle exhaust-gas release, the advantage over a competitor who has been forced to curb their percentage use, because of fuel levels, vastly outweighs the disadvantages posed by running with extra fuel. Fundamentally, the decision to run less fuel in qualifying in order to gain an advantage has – since the introduction of blown diffusers and off-throttle exhaust activity – become a disadvantage.

But why does Red Bull seem to suddenly lose the immense advantage that they hold in qualifying, when it comes to the Sunday event? The answer to that is relatively straight-forward. A car that expends (roughly) four to five kilograms (they don’t measure fuel as litres, or gallons, in Formula One) per lap will require five to six litres of fuel in order to operate with a level of throttle retardation that Red Bull Racing employ. When used over a single lap, the negatives of extra weight can easily become outweighed by the positives of improved downforce. However, in a race scenario (and at a track where we can assume the average fuel usage per-lap is approximately four kilograms) Red Bull would be required to carry a massive 132kg extra fuel than their competitors. The immense disadvantage posed by such an great weight deficit is more obvious than Helmet Marko’s pro-Vettel bias. Because of this, Red Bull are required to electronically reduce the level of accelerator retardation. Even though the cars are in “p

arc fermé” conditions during qualifying, drivers are allowed to alter car settings – including engine settings - from the cockpit.

The reduction of retardation results in a net reduction in the level of downforce that the team are able to take advantage of in the race scenario. Because the levels of exhaust gas exertion are equalised (or thereabouts) during a race scenario, Red Bull and McLaren (and sometimes Ferrari) are subsequently placed on equal playing fields.

The FIA’s decision to dramatically restrict the use of off-throttle exhaust gas release following the Monaco Grand Prix will, no doubt, dramatically affect the trend in qualifying that has been prevalent in the past 15 month.

Credit: The F1 Times (www.thef1times.com)