Formula One car development blog
2006: Carbon rings (yet another saga)
After the fuss with the flexible front wings and while there was still much going on about the mass dampers, Ferrari was in the midst of developing new carbon rings. At first, the rings in the rear wheels were actually ducts, but already at their second appearance the ducts had become simple circular panels that were glued into the rim. At Turkey (see image on the left) the wheels were almost completely covered and in Italy different rings were used during the race. Pat Symonds especially reacted heavily to these changes, especially after a dubious penalty for Alonso after a complaint from Ferrari. The rings were supposedly an aid for brake cooling but, apart from the FIA and Ferrari, every team was convinced it was an illegal aerodynamic device. It somehow did not prevent Toyota and Toro Rosso to also develop and use a similar device during the course of the season.
2006: Flexing down the rear wing
Yet again it was Ferrari that unsurprisingly had also developed a flexing rear wing that would bend backwards slightly to reduce drag at higher speeds. Few races later the upper element moved downward under the air pressure and created a rear wing that was actually stalling since the slot gap closed. Although several other teams tried to copy the system in order to gain top speeds they never really match the stunning Ferrari. Among the copycats were BMW Sauber, Renault and Midland. As soon as it became obvious teams spent large amounts of money, the FIA decided once again to ban the system and introduce a mandatory gap spacer as displayed in the image (on a Toyota). As of Canada, it became clear this was becoming more of an FIA season than any other Formula One season before.
2006: The flexing front wings
The first real discussion subject of 2006 was without a doubt the flexing front wing of Ferrari. Although most wings bend down a little bit at higher speeds because of the air pressure, Ferrari found a very distinct solution to optimise their performance. As the 2006 cars were really underpowered in relation to the grip levels, aerodynamic drag was a vital part for topspeeds, more than has ever been. As the upper element of the wing would prevent flexing, Ferrari allowed movement so that the wing's upper planes would detach from the nose cone at higher speeds. This marginal decrease in drag and downforce no doubt gained a bit of topspeed until eventually the FIA kindly requested Ferrari to redesign the attachment.
Different carbon rings in one weekend
For the first time this season, Ferrari were using different ring types in their rear wheels during one single race weekend. As Carlos pointed out on the forum, both cars were fitted with the big rings as displayed in the image, while after the first race stint they were both fitted with smaller rings, in fact the specification of before the Turkish GP. Contrary to what Ferrari and the FIA state though, the device is certainly an aerodynamic help. While it is considered an allowed brake duct by the FIA, the ring itself is a burden to air hot air and dust coming out of the brake. Although it is possible for the FIA, it seems nearly impossible that the device lowers brake temperature. However, as rear brakes actually require less cooling, this duct may also be designed to decrease cooling and therefore keep the brakes warmer.
Ferrari copy sidepod flip
Unsurprisingly but a bit later than expected, Ferrari introduced a sidepod flipup at the Chinese Grand Prix. The Scuderia follows suit of BMW Sauber and Renault also developed a similar component. Almost every team now has its sidepods fitted with a similar flip or vane to channel air towards the back of the car. While BMW and Toyota seem to opt for a downforce generating element, Ferrari has the same basic idea as Renault in a way that the element straightens up air coming from behind the rotating and hence drag inducing front wheel.
An eye for detail
A close look on the rear wing endplate displays a very distinct item not seen at any other team so far. Some variations are obviously used at the competitors but at Monza the leading edge of the endplate was fitted with an extra bend to have an extra bit of air flow around the endplate instead of on the wing itself. This item is likely to work on combination with the slides in the plate to decrease vortices behind the rear wing. Consequently, drag is reduced which is capital at Monza.
Thick nose winglets on Ferrari 248
As the teams arrived at Monza last week for their testing session and now for the race, Ferrari have added a rather thick winglet at both sides of the nose cone. Similar to all items seen in that area of the car, none of them are aimed to produce downforce but guide air better alongside the car. In fact, the new leading winglet (1) will produce lift. Obviously this airfoil creates drag, but seeing it debut in Monza may indicate it is efficient at high speeds. The second winglet (2) is far thinner and is there to improve airflow around the upper front wishbone. The latter element is now new and was already used in other races before.
New carbon rim ring on Ferrari
There has been a lot going on about the carbon rings that were introduced by Ferrari. While it is allowed by the FIA as an aid to help cool the brakes, the dubious element has now evolved in such a way that hardly anyone could state it is not meant for reducing turbulence. The new ring is now larger than ever and seems to only have opening in the middle for wheel changes. Although Toro Rosso and Toyota adopted a ring too, it is surprising how few teams actually copy the device. Could they fear that developing it might make it illegal? Just like what happened with the mass dampers?
Second rear wheel flipup
While Renault have been running double flipups since the beginning of the season, Ferrari have now adopted a similar thing too, be it a little smaller of what we see at the French team. The extra element was introduced at Hockenheim and used again at the Hungaroring. It is attached on the upper element at two points and adds to the reduction of air resistance on front of the rear wheel.
