One of the standout characteristics of the dominant RB19 is the DRS advantage that has helped Max Verstappen and Sergio Perez often be unstoppable on the straights.
It has been key in producing some impressive qualifying performances and allowing both drivers to breeze past the opposition in races without much difficulty.
While the scale of the Red Bull DRS gain prompted theories earlier in the year about a trick system being in place to help unleash its speed boost, rivals have quickly come to understand the dynamics at play.
And rather than it being something that operates in a grey area of the rules, the reality is that the system is more to do with how Red Bull balances drag levels at the rear of the car.
Red Bull has deliberately chosen to have a bigger ratio of drag coming from its rear wing than its beam wing – so when the main wing opens it means there is a greater speed jump.
But rivals are unable to simply copy this approach because their cars are not producing the necessary performance from the diffuser that allows them to cut back on the beam wing – which produces high downforce and high drag and is a valuable tool in improving rear end stability.
McLaren has begun to push a bit harder in this region, and introduced a more efficient beam wing at the Belgian Grand Prix that it hoped would shift the drag ratios at the rear and start unlocking some more DRS gains.
Source: Autosport