Red Bull try radical new aero solution

Red Bull Racing caused a surprise on the first day of this week's test at Barcelona in Spain when they ran a radical engine cover fin on their new RB4.

At the car's launch last month, Red Bull drew criticism that their new car was too similar to its predecessor. Only the car's new diffuser and attention to its reliability issues had been obvious developments.

The team had promised several aerodynamic updates, however, although few had predicted the solution that ran today.

The top of the engine cover extends horizontally from the top of the roll hoop all the way to the rear wing.

The new fin will likely be aimed at helping lateral stability, with flow from the rear wing being affected when the car slides. The new more extreme tail looks to be a work around for the fin shrouding the rear wing.

As the fin is undercut, the flow to the wing can continue when the car slides, leaving the upper part of the fin high above the rear wing to provide the lateral stability.

The solution aids the car's stability particularly on corner entry, which is important this year, as the loss of the engine braking control on the single ECU makes the cars less stable. This fin could go some way to recovering some of the lost stability.

Source: autosport.com