Formula One car development blog
Zero keel or a twin keel after all?
Realising that all teams are now competing this season with a zero keel front suspension, I spotted this at the Belgian Grand Prix. The picture shows how the front suspension - which is totally different than that of the TF107 - is attached to the monocoque. The zero keel - which denotes the lack of vertical suspension support under the nose - allows for a much better airflow under the nose and towards the sidepods. The picture does show an extension on the car's centre line, but that is merely a manner of putting ballast in the right place.
So far for the zero keel then, because a closer look to the tub shows that the lower foremost wishbones are connecting to small extensions. One could therefore argue if this concerns an actual zero keel or a twin keel. The attachment of the turning vanes to the mini-keels does however reflect McLaren's 2003 design which has been adopted by most of today's competitors.
McLaren design 4-paddle steering wheel for torque control
McLaren have recently been using steering wheels with 4 paddles, rather than the usual two. The 'telegraph' have reported that, while the upper paddles are used for conventional up and downshifting, the additional levers allow the driver to select a different engine mapping, independently from the gear shifting.
The currently used standard engine control unit enable to teams to program a number of predefined engine mappings, optimising traction or driveability in different conditions or at different speeds. The new system enables the driver to change gears and simultaneously change to a different engine mapping by pulling the paddles at the same time. Most importantly, it looks to be allowed by current regulations as these only stipulate that engine mappings can only be changed by the driver. Any automatic change acting upon a gear shift is forbidden.
Already considered a manual traction control system, the drivers have not the ability to effectively limit wheel spin when accelerating out of slow corners while not reducing power at higher speeds. When finally considered legal by the FIA, Ferrari is likely to be quick and copy the system to recover from their current performance deficit.
McLaren take testing to the extreme
McLaren have impressed in the testing season so far as their cars have often proven to be the fastest among the competitors. While that may not be important, the team is also experiencing very few mechanical problems. In fact only 3 problems arose in the last few weeks of testing, with the last one being yesterday on Alonso's car. The car was fixed surprisingly fast and McLaren have stated the problem was caused by a testing program in that area of the car. Just like with a previous problem 2 weeks ago, the team looks like testing its car under extreme conditions to see how long the car lasts without engineering interference. It may be that the team has learned from Renault who won their championships partly thanks to an extreme car reliability.
2006: V8 development
2006 was the first of a string of F1 years with V8 engines after a rather long period of running with the 3 litre V10 engines. Although engine manufacturers claimed it would not reduce costs (and they were right) the FIA pushed the proposal through since the level of performance was increasing too quickly. The end of the V10 was closed with Honda topping 1000hp before dropping around 250hp when running at Bahrain in 2006. Most manufacturers proved not to be ready but all have gained performance and made sure their to be homologated engines are good contenders for 2007. As of 2007 there is a limit on 19000 rpm and only very strict development. This season might become closer than ever and it certainly will be in terms of engines.
2006: Renault mass damper
At the time the F1 circus arrived at Hockenheim, Renault and Alonso were building up a comfortable lead in the championship. However, the FIA decided to interfere and decided to ban the innovative mass damper solution that was used and approved by the FIA since the Brazilian GP of 2005. Although Renault managed to win the title, Pat Symonds recently said that the fuss seriously hampered Renault's progress towards the end of the season.
The mass damper itself was in fact a movable mass inside the nosecone of the car. About 9kg mass could therefore be considered sprung mass, a considerable advantage over the other teams. The device was particularly effective on kerbstones and in acceleration where the inertia of the mass would effectively pull the nose down to the track and increase front end grip.
2006: Adaptation of the zero keel
In the first part of our technical review of 2006 we mark up that most teams have searched for success with different keel designs compared to 2005. Honda, BMW, Toyota and Midland have all chosen for the zero keel, thinking that the aerodynamic benefits would outweigh the disadvantages in front suspension geometry. Looking backward, it were still single (or V) keeled designs that ruled. None of the teams have performed very well in twisty circuits, apart for Button's Honda that profited from excellent Michelin tyres in Hungary. Leaving out next year's harder Bridgestone tyres it looks unlikely to be beneficial to move to a zero keel model. 2 More months of waiting and we will know for sure.
