Red Bull plans to copy McLaren’s rear brake design to solve tire issues

Red Bull is exploring ways to copy McLaren's key design, Dutch RacingNews365 reports.

The team from Milton Keynes is working to replicate the clever design of McLaren's rear brakes in an attempt to control tire temperature, according to RacingNews365.

The high temperatures during the Miami Grand Prix allowed McLaren's MCL39 car to show one of its greatest strengths - maintaining the optimum temperature of the rear tires. This allowed Oscar Piastri and Lando Norris to leave Max Verstappen behind after passing him.

Red Bull is developing a package of upgrades and plans to gradually introduce it in the coming races to catch the increasingly competitive McLaren, with a particular focus on the design of the rear brakes.

McLaren's system was already the subject of an investigation by the FIA, but it passed all checks and was declared completely legal. Multiple rivals, including Red Bull, Ferrari and Mercedes, are now exploring their own versions of the design.

As technical analyst Paolo Filisetti previously wrote, McLaren is using airflow in a way that competing teams have yet to recognise, especially since air is the only permitted method of cooling the brakes given that liquid cooling is prohibited.

Paul Monaghan talks about solutions

When asked about this situation, Red Bull's chief engineer, Paul Monaghan, said that there is no "Harry Potter" solution to the problem.

"If you slide and skid too much, your rear tires will probably overheat," Monaghan told the Netherlands' RN365. "We have made certain steps, you won't see it, but there is progress - although it is not magic."

"We can't just wave a magic wand and solve everything at once. It's a matter of dedicated engineering, thorough work by smart people, and we're going to solve the problem incrementally."

"We are free to do what we want, when we can. We have limitations - number of employees, budget - but the goal is to make the best possible car and constantly improve it."

"All teams will try to do that. The only question is whether we can do it quickly enough to overtake those ahead of us again."