Why did Red Bull pull away even further from Mercedes and Ferrari this season?

Red Bull's inherent advantage over their rivals like Mercedes and Ferrari, as well as the rest of the field in 2023, could be down to the team making a change to the rear suspension of the RB19, according to F1 analyst Mark Hughes.

Red Bull started the new ground-effect era of F1 in sublime fashion when the RB18 broke covers at the start of 2022. By the end of the season, they had won 17 out of 22 races and romped their way to both world championships with healthy margins between them and the rest of the grid.

In 2023, the Milton-Keynes-based team picked up where they left off with three wins in three races and no signs of slowing down just yet. Hughes, who provides his insights and expert opinion on The Race, attributed this to the way they have set up the rear suspension of the car.

Hughes elaborated on this in the latest episode of The Race's F1 podcast when asked to explain Red Bull's dominant start to the year. He said:

"At a cursory glance, the Red Bull looks barely any different from last year's car. So, why should it be so much faster? Well, one very significant change which has been made is to the rear suspension."

Hughes went on to add:

"Last year, Red Bull, like everyone else, mounted its rear top wishbone to the top of the gearbox, but this year there is an additional structure above the gearbox to which it is now mounted, which gives it a greater anti-squat geomentry. It doesn't squat down as much under acceleration."

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Rear suspension changes allow Red Bull to run the 'whole car lower,' according to F1 pundit

According to Mark Hughes, Red Bull's decision to develop an additional structure to mount their rear wishbone allows them to run the RB19 lower, giving it an advantage over all the other cars currently on the grid.

In the aforementioned episode of The Race's F1 podcast, Hughes elaborated on how this is a major plus point for the reigning Constructors' champions when he compared it to last year's all-conquering RB18. He said:

"It was already running last year a very severe degree of anti-dive on the front geometry. So, now this has been combined with a more anti-squat at the rear. So, there will be even less change to the car's aero platform as it brakes in corners and accelerates."

This change has given them improved performance while going through corners and is a potential game-changer in more ways than one. Firstly, due to regulation changes, all teams were compelled to raise their ride height by 15mm to avoid bottoming out and porpoising. Secondly, Mercedes and Ferrari have not been able to maximize their car concept just yet.

Hughes added:

"That will improve their through-corner balance, but what it will also have done is allow the team to run the whole car lower, because there is not as much diving and squatting to allow for and that has got exponential benefits in a ground-effect car."

This ingenious move comes as no surprise considering Red Bull's car development has been spearheaded by Adrian Newey, who is known as an aerodynamics savant in motorsport. Team principal Christian Horner has also confirmed that Newey will remain with the team for the foreseeable future, so one can expect them to keep performing at a high level for some time yet.