Red Bull's SECRET Engine Upgrades to Beat Mercedes | Formula 1 Engineering

Scientific Concepts, Discoveries, and Nature/Physics Phenomena

Aerodynamic trade-offs (F1 car design)

• Teams optimize for engine power and downforce.
• More engine power often helps create more downforce without losing too much on straights, but chassis balance and corner types still matter.

Vehicle packaging & drag reduction via smaller engine

• Red Bull’s smaller 2021 Honda engine enables tighter rear-end packaging.
• Tighter packaging reduces drag and improves airflow into rear downforce components.

Turbocharger architecture (split turbocharger)

• A split turbocharger places:
  • the hot side at the rear of the engine
  • the cool side at the front
• Goal: slightly more oxygen into cylinders → more power (as described in the subtitles).

Intake/air distribution system: plenum sizing and airflow management

• Red Bull benefits from a smaller plenum (less space, no Mercedes-like bulge).
• Mercedes uses a different inlet arrangement that requires a larger plenum.

Intercooling technology

• Red Bull uses an air-to-air intercooler in the side pod.
• Mercedes uses a liquid-cooled intercooler.
• Claim: air-to-air can be lighter, keeping weight more central, which can improve handling.

Energy recovery and electric boosting (MGU-H)

• Red Bull / MGU-H uses the MGU-H (MGUH) located between hot/cold turbo regions.
• Exhaust energy drives the turbine, powering the MGU-H.
• MGU-H energy is described as “unlimited” by regulations, unlike braking energy recovery (which is capped).
• Key limiter: back pressure
  • Harvesting too much can reduce turbine speed → reduces boost pressure and power.
• Honda-era changes (as described) improved operation at higher back pressure, enabling more MGU-H recovery without efficiency loss.
• Result: batteries stay charged with less end-of-straight braking regen → improved lap time.

Fuel/air dynamics: tuning pressure waves in intake runners

• Intake airflow occurs in waves that form only when inlet valves open.
• Variable length inlet trumpets adjust runner length with engine RPM.
• This targets wave timing to maximize power across the rev range, not just at peak RPM.

Supercooling concept (“supercooled coolant”)

• Mercedes is believed to use coolant cooled below freezing temperature, but remaining liquid.
• Mechanism described: rapid cooling prevents crystallization, so it stays liquid despite sub-freezing temperature.
• Intended effect: improved cooling of the plenum/engine, improving power output.

Ground-effect aerodynamics and rake philosophy

• Regulation constraints on rear floor/bodywork area interact with rake angle (front-to-rear ride height difference).
• Red Bull: short wheelbase + high rake
  • Larger diffuser volume → more suction → more downforce.
  • Aims for nimble behavior in slow corners while still generating downforce.
• Mercedes: longer wheelbase + lower rake
  • Lower rear ride height reduces drag at high speed.
  • Lower rake can reduce diffuser efficiency unless floor sealing is excellent.
• Mercedes redesigned aero components to increase rake while working within regulation constraints.

Dynamic suspension / “heave” control: third (heave) damper

• Heave damper connects rear suspension sides and manages vertical motion.
• Mercedes described tuning it so that:
  • in corners, the car compresses differently → higher effective rake / more downforce
  • on straights, loads compress the heave damper → car sits lower → reduced drag

Flexible / quasi-flexible aerodynamic behavior (legality gray areas)

• Red Bull’s rear wing was observed to “flex” on straights.
• Official constraint: flexible or movable aero devices not allowed (as stated).
• Strategy described:
  • maximize downforce in corners with a high-downforce wing
  • reduce drag on straights via controlled wing flex
• Types of flex:
  • wing flexing downwards to reduce wing height
  • wing rotating backwards to reduce effective wing angle
• Mentioned mechanism:
  • revised wing mounts on hinges allowing rotation while transferring loads into the gearbox

Regulatory future impact

• Aerodynamic approaches may be reset by new regulations, including a new rear-wing design next year.

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Methods / Engineering Approach Outlined (As Described in the Subtitles)

Engine downsizing and packaging optimization (Red Bull / Honda)

• Use a smaller engine to reduce rear packaging volume
• Apply split turbocharger layout
• Create a smaller plenum
• Use air-to-air intercooling
• Use stronger engine block alloy to allow tighter internal geometry
• Incorporate/optimize MGU-H (energy recovery)
• Engineer for higher back-pressure operation to enable more MGU-H recovery without hurting efficiency

Intake tuning to maintain power across RPM (Mercedes)

• Use variable length inlet trumpets to time pressure waves to the valve timing across the rev range

Cooling optimization using supercooling (Mercedes, believed)

• Run supercooled coolant through plenum walls to cool intake air and increase power

Aerodynamic rake management through hardware tuning (Mercedes)

• Employ heave/third damper tuning to vary effective rake between corners and straights
• Redesign aero components to improve sealing and diffuser/rake behavior under regulation constraints

Controlled aerodynamic flex for drag reduction (Red Bull, then copied)

• Use wing mount designs that allow some degree of motion/flex
• Coordinate flex characteristics to reduce drag on straights while maintaining corner downforce

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Researchers or Sources Featured

• Sebastian Vettel (referenced as a past Red Bull era benchmark when discussing Renault engine trade-offs)
• Lewis Hamilton (referenced as a racing rival in the framing)
• Max Verstappen (referenced as a racing rival in the framing)
• Mercedes engineers / Red Bull engineers / Honda engineers (mentioned as groups; no individual names provided)
• Raycon (video sponsor)