Formula One car development blog
Low noses are more efficient in F1
After half a season with the highest nose tip of all cars, the Honda engineers have found they were pulling the shortest end and have designed a longer nose with a much lower tip. The development is however surprising as the team earlier declared that it would be focusing fully on next year's car.
Last season, Toyota made a similar, though less drastic move to improve the frontal grip upon corner entry, and it appears that Honda have learned from their fellow Japanese team.
Also note that Honda's paint scheme is deceiving as the underside of the cone is painted black, rather than the usual white. The nose is therefore slightly thicker than it initially looks.
McLaren introduce 6-panel front wing
McLaren have taken front wing development to yet another level again. After having used a triple element front wing for several years, first the team introduced a bridge wing that was recently split up in two elements at the outer sides. At Silverstone however, the MP4-23 featured 4 panels - two grey and two red. The complexity is in stark contrast with the front wing of Force India, having only 2 base panels and simple nose-connected deck wings.
Force India surprise with new engine cover
Although Mike Gascoyne already announced a couple of major updates for this week's Silverstone test, we were a bit surprised to see Force India with an extended engine cover. Similar to Red Bull and Renault, the team developed a windscreen that helps stabilise the car while cornering. The uprise of these designs can also be explained by this year's banning of traction control which tends to put the car more regularly under yaw than was previously the case.
Another improvement to Toyota front wing
Toyota have introduced yet another front wing development at Magny Cours. In fact the team has a modified front wing at almost every circuit. The version for the French Grand Prix was very different to the one run at Canada (upper image) but resembles in some aspects the Monaco version. The main plane for instance retained a similar profile (1) while the spoon shape was also identical (2).
There are however also brand new changes to the wing, all mainly aimed at improving stability under pitch to improve handling over the curbstones. A first is the upward curve on the outer extremities of the base plane (3). The team also finally got rid of the inward curve of the end plates (4) while the horizontal panel is now flat on the leading edge and curved ahead of the front wheel (5), opposite to the previous design.
Longitudinal fins on Ferrari rear wing
Ferrari's latest rear wing iteration again features a couple of interesting features which other teams have either not discovered or didn't find interesting enough. One of which are vertical fins as they are usual on front wings. These carbon fibre elements tend to help airflow to move straight along the wing and is particularly helpful under yaw. Previously, Honda made use of similar, larger items on top of their rear wing but had to call that off due to a request of the FIA.
Also marked is an interesting extension of the spacer that prevents the wing gap to close. At the wing's trailing edge, the 2 fins - only one of them is displayed in the image - extend above the wing. As the wing's maximum height is limited by the regulations, either Ferrari have lowered their wing or the FIA is silently allowing the upper extensions.
McLaren add ears to cockpit sides
McLaren have finally jumped into Renault's and Ferrari's footsteps by adding little winglets at each side of the cockpit. The idea was already introduced in 2006 by Honda but back then in the form of a thicker element. Renault then also started using it in 2006 while Ferrari introduced their 'knives' earlier this year. All designs are some kind of a lift generating aerofoil ahead of the mirrors to direct a little extra airflow into the sidepod inlets. Its effects are highly unpredictable, but it may well slightly improve cooling and allow for a little extra downforce towards the end of the car.
Two different rear wings on RA108
Honda drivers Barrichello and Button have been using different rear wings at the Canadian Grand Prix. Jenson Button's version is very similar to the rear wing used at several other races this year as it features the same profile but has an extra gurney flap to it. Surprisingly, this will increase downforce. The wing used by Rubens Barrichello sports a cut out upper plane, as marked by the arrows. Such design is a quick solution for lower drag and downforce on the same wing, although it will have a lower efficiency compared to a wing with a higher lower profile and with identical downforce.
BMW revert to simpler nose cone
For a low downforce circuit like at Montreal, BMW have reverted their nose cone to the design that was visible at the car's launch. On the right is the spec of Barcelona, which clearly shows the wings on top of the nose cone. While it helps to create downforce, such winged nose cone does create an amount of drag that is unwanted at the Circuit Gilles Villeneuve. The left part of the image is the Canadian specification.
Teams add supports to bridge wings
In accordance with an FIA request to prevent flexing of the bridge wings, McLaren, Red Bull, Toyota and Williams have added small supports on top of the nose cone to make sure the bridge element of their front wings do not flex down at high speeds. Renault who also have a bridged wing already had a support very similar to that introduced by the other 'bridged' teams.
Toyota use regulation loophole for rear wing
In an attempt to maximise downforce, Toyota have designed a new rear wing that holds an extra slot in the middle of the wingspan. The team thereby use a loophole in the regulations that stipulate two closed elements for the rear wing. Since the rule applies only to the wing between 150mm and 480mm of the centreline, an extra slot was possible. This allows the wing in that area to be steeper without risking to stall it.
Additionally, you can also see in the picture that Toyota had a double top wing on the airbox, rather than the usual single aerofoil. While one or two years ago this was very common, today it is a rarity.
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