Formula One car development blog
Old school sidepod panels for downforce
Recently at Monaco, Williams and Toyota added winglets inside of their sidepod panels to add a bit of central downforce to their cars. When the panels were first introduced in Formula One - by Honda in 2006 - the inside winglets were fairly standard when most teams copied the design. Today, the panels are more focused on improving airflow and generating downforce at the rear end of the car. Monaco is however a special case, where due to its low speeds, aero efficiency is less important than downforce. The winglets have been tested by both teams at Paul Ricard and are unlikely to appear again at Canada.
Williams up to speed, new engine cover
Williams development is up to speed as new elements are rolling out of the factory quickly. At the Spanish GP, the team introduced a new front wing profile while at Turkey another step was made on the front wing. As a third car now, following Red Bull and Renault, the FW30 is being equipped with a shark fin engine cover. The solution is however more elegant and resembles more the version of BMW Sauber. While the added surface improves rear stability under yaw, the all new winglet fixed just ahead and above the rear wing adds a bit of downforce, just like one can expect with Monaco in eyesight.
Williams copy 2-week old Renault design
Williams have copied Renault's new upper deck front wing design, just two weeks after the French team first raced it. For Renault it was part of their Barcelona aerodynamic package that lifted the team's performance considerably. As marked in the image, the new wing sports small endplates where the nose bridge and the downforce generating panels connect. Despite being less aesthetically pleasing, the solution allows to put a more aggressive angle of attack to the upper elements while helping to reduce the induced drag from it.
Note that this solution was only used by Rosberg and only during the race.
Williams go their own way on front wing design
Williams continue to design their front wing independent of what the other teams are doing. The wing that was used in the first three races, as in the lower image, already was distinct as it featured a very smoothly curved base plane profile. This time around, the engineers left the bridge element unchanged, but changed all the rest. The Barcelona spec front wing sports 3 completely separate panels contrary to the previously half open main plane. Apart from that, the leading edge contains a big central spoon shape. The wing will undoubtedly add downforce at the front, but as the results of the Spanish GP show, it didn't have the desired effect that Williams were chasing.
Williams FW30: Airbox wing detail
While the basic design elements are not new, the modern airbox wing on the FW30 is an excellent example of the current level of development in Formula One. Some teams are use very basic or no aerofoils in this area, but Williams appear to have put great effort in it. The image clearly shows a variation in chord along the width of the winglet. On top of that, the wingtip is slightly pointing upwards. The reason behind it is hard with any simulation, but any aerofoil in this area is important for air stabilisation in order to slightly improve the efficiency of the rear wing.
Williams FW30 follows typical design trends
Williams' new FW30 is a particular example for some trends that have been set over the winter. At first there is the attention that was paid to the sidepod panels. After their introduction in 2006 the designs have evolved greatly. The newest Williams iteration is very similar to the McLaren MP4-22 as it is one with the (closed) chimney and has a slit in the main panel itself. More rearward the flipup is rather conventional but shows similar thinking to rival teams. The flipup is now slightly wider and with a small slot gap.
Send to a friend
Improve this page