“Working with the Red Bull F1 guys is about merging our know-how”
MAT OXLEY
During last summer’s British MotoGP round some unfamiliar faces were spotted within the Silverstone paddock. They were aerodynamicists from Red Bull Formula 1, come to talk with the Red Bull-backed KTM MotoGP team.
Downforce aerodynamics have been a growing presence in MotoGP since 2016, when Ducati adorned its Desmosedici with an array of winglets, designed to reduce wheelies and therefore increase acceleration.
In fact these weren’t the first wings seen on a grand prix motorcycle. In 1974 Giacomo Agostini experimented with winglets attached to his 500cc MV Agusta during the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps. They were never seen again but a few years later Suzuki engineers tried strakes on Barry Sheene’s RG500, until they realised the strakes caused front tyres to overheat. MotoGP bikes remained wingless for the next 25 years or so.