Explained: How Red Bull extended its straight-line speed advantage at the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP

Red Bull were easily able to dominate the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP, especially in both the sprint and main races. Although Ferrari were quite quick in qualifying, with Charles Leclerc taking pole in both qualifying sessions, the Bulls' race pace, especially on the long main straight in Baku, was phenomenal.

When taking a closer look at the developments and upgrades that the reigning world champions brought to the race, it becomes clear how they unlocked the RB19's pace.

One of the most distinct changes to their car was a new radiator inlet in the bodywork. Compared to the previous inlet, the new one in Baku was much wider but shallower. This allowed Red Bull to manipulate the air pressure going into the radiator and also shrink the radiator exit at the back.

This gave them overall aerodynamic efficiency, which helped them quite a lot in the Azerbaijan GP. The upgrade will also work in future races, as it was not a track-specific upgrade, but a part of their aerodynamic development program.

Furthermore, they focused on the rear wing of the car. Since Baku's street circuit has some long straights, teams focused on reducing drag as much as possible. Though trimming the rear wing does reduce the downforce as well, cars usually suffer more from having more drag than less downforce, especially when they are on a long straight.

The rear wing Red Bull used in the Azerbaijan GP was quite similar to the one they used in Jeddah in early April. Though it was thicker than other rear wings used by teams, their pace with DRS was outstanding.

At around turn 16, where the main straight of Baku begins, the Ferraris were around 291 kmph, while the Red Bulls were around 286 kmph. However, the speed difference shifted quite drastically with DRS active. Right before braking for turn 1, the RB19 was able to reach 342 kmph, while the SF-23 gave up after 333 kmph.

This is how the reigning world champions dominated both races in the 2023 F1 Azerbaijan GP.

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George Russell believes Mercedes cannot beat Red Bull even if they remove the W14's rear wing

George Russell claims that even if Mercedes removes the rear wing from the W14, it still won't be able to catch the RB19. Speaking to Autosport, he said:

"We know what the speed difference is. I think we believe we could take the rear wing fully off, and Red Bull would still be quicker than us on the straights, and that's not even a joke."

He is well aware of the pace difference and believes that his team needs to do a lot of work before challenging the reigning world champions.