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… AND TESTS HEAVE SPRINGS
Since several races, Red Bull has been evaluating two types of heave springs in the free practice sessions: a completely hydraulic model introduced this season and a Belleville spring washer model similar to the 2017 version. In France, Daniel Ricciardo and Max Verstappen used the same configuration (with Belleville washers), while they sometimes mounted different dampers during previous Grand Prix.
By linking the front wheels, the heave spring controls the dive pitch under braking (or as a result of the generated downforce), as well as the cars’ ride height. In other words, it increases damper stiffness when needed (at high-speed on straight-line, i.e. when there is an increase in aero load), while remaining neutral when cornering.
This means it has an impact on the front wing’s position as well as the car’s stability (by preventing the car dives too far forwards, thus rubbing against the track with the splitter, which would lead to excessive and illegal wear of the skid block).
