VCARB will run an updated rear end on its car for the final three races, taking components from Red Bull’s RB20 for the remainder of the season.

As Red Bull and VCARB become increasingly aligned technically, the VCARB01 will receive the rear suspension and gearbox of the Red Bull RB20 for the final three races of the 2024 F1 season.

VCARB to integrate Red Bull components

While VCARB has had a sporadic season in 2024, the final trio of races represent the last chance for the Faenza-based team to secure sixth place in the Manufacturers’ Championship – a formidable challenge for Haas and Alpine are each less than five points and ahead of VCARB.

Development of the VCARB01 was not straightforward, with an update package introduced at the Spanish Grand Prix sending the car’s performance in the wrong direction as correlation and manufacturing issues forced the team to determine where improvements had not been made. worked, and where they had worked.

For the triple finale, VCARB will repeat last year’s assimilation of current Red Bull components. Known as the AlphaTauri in 2023, the AT04 received the rear suspension of the dominant RB19 from the Singapore Grand Prix – with a slight shape improvement immediately following.

This year, the VCARB01 will take over the rear suspension and gearbox from the RB20 for the final races, in the final push for sixth place. The delay in seasons is because suspension is more complex to implement in VCARB01 – which is not helped by the aforementioned correlation issues and the need to figure out what went wrong in its simulations and to CFD data.

Such component sharing is fully permitted by regulations, with customer teams permitted to purchase certain transferable components, including gearboxes and suspension.

Transferable Components (TRC) are defined in the regulations, with supply agreements such as gearboxes and rear suspensions covered by this classification.

There are many components listed in the technical regulations, the use of which is authorized by customer teams.

The supplier must “own and/or control all rights, information and/or data of any nature (including all aspects of design, manufacturing, know-how, operating procedures, properties and calibrations) . »

TRC parts supplied to another team must be identical in all respects, although design changes are permitted – this is to ensure that teams do not design bespoke components specifically for the customer.

Suppliers must also provide customers with all relevant costs and financial information on the manufacturing/logistics of the supply, as the Financial Regulations specify that these parts must be assigned a “fair value” for accounting purposes within the budget cap .

Authorized components, described in Annex 5 of the technical regulations, benefit from a transferable status and can thus be sold/shared by supplier teams with their customers.

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While the evolution is expected to form the basis of the VCARB02, the last car produced by Faenza under current regulations, understanding the impact of the suspension and gearbox change will prove essential in forming the basis of the design of the next year.

VCARB’s links with Red Bull have been strengthened over the past 12 months, with VCARB also set to move from its Bicester aero factory to a section of the Red Bull campus in Milton Keynes – the Faenza factory will not be affected by the aerodynamic department. moving.

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