2008 Jerez/Algarve Winter Testing (8th Dec - 17th Dec)

[shotzski]

Anyone knows what Ferrari and Mclaren's testing programs are? I don't they're running KERS on their car

[twoshots]

McLaren are testing KERS. I have no idea about Ferrari yet.
http://www.f1technical.net/news/11237

[Scotracer]

[Sawtooth-spike]

Looks quite good, wish the Rear wing would look like that and not the stupid new one. Interesting how curvey they made the elements

Fat Nose again. I noticed that the williams nose has changed slightly 2, it seems fatter and the elements were more curved.

[scarbs]

Mac had their new test car in Jerez as shown the previous posts.

This wore the new front wing and wide nose. It was also shorn of the bargeboards and pod wings, although the aero ‘furniture’ further back down the sidepods was the same as the 08 spec car and ran the very small sidepod opening. Without the complicated bargeboards and pod wings, it’s interesting to see the complex shape of the McLaren monocoque.

The new front wing is a fairly serious first attempt at the 2009 wing. I need to examine the curves of the flaps a bit closer, as they are quite complex but may give clues as to how teams will make the wing work whilst being in front of the tyre. It looks like they are working the wing hardest right in front of the middle of the front tyre, perhaps making two separate vortex flows, to spiral around either side of the front wheel. The odd lift where the flap meets the middle wing section creating a large slot gap, also suggests they are making this area less aggressive to ease the transition between wing and the neutral middle section.
As the endplates are quite simple compared to BMW Sauber’s, I would guess Mac are letting the front wing split the flow, where as BMWE are getting the endplate and fence to this job. From the black carbon fibre panel on the side of the endplate, it seems the wing is ready to adjust 6-degree as per the new reg’s. As I am guessing this plate hides the hydraulic ram to move the front wing flap.

The underneath of the wing and many of the upper body surfaces were sprayed with green tinted oil, this shows how the air flows over the bodyworks surface and is commonly used to cross check to CFD\tunnel data. Clearly Mac are ensuring the wing is sending flow where expected, the fact that the mirrors are sprayed again gives us clues as to here the flow is going.

The team also tested the extended front wheel fairing. This takes the normal fairing and extends it forward to the perimeter of the tyre, this fits within the rules as they demand the ‘bodywork cannot extend above below the front wheel height, nor forwards of the front tyre between these lines. The only issue with this could be maximum width, often the front\rear wheels are the widest part of the car (1800mm). As the fairing is wider the than the tyre, the front wheels must be narrower than the 1800mm allowed.
The benefit will be that the new wider front wing send some of its flow around the outside of the front wheel, last year almost all the flow was around the inside of the tyre. Although the fairing will be higher than the front wing endplate (lower for 2009), it will help smooth its path back along the car, and not upset the flow to the rear wing\diffuser. Without bargeboard to manage the over the central fuselage of the car, this will certainly help. Expect a lot of teams to also run turning vanes affixed the inside of the front brake duct as Renault did on 2008 for similar reasons.


Scarbs....

[natef1]

No 09 spec rear wing?

Looks quite slick (no pun intended) to me.
Nice summary scarbs

[timbo]

The team also tested the extended front wheel fairing. This takes the normal fairing and extends it forward to the perimeter of the tyre, this fits within the rules as they demand the ‘bodywork cannot extend above below the front wheel height, nor forwards of the front tyre between these lines. The only issue with this could be maximum width, often the front\rear wheels are the widest part of the car (1800mm). As the fairing is wider the than the tyre, the front wheels must be narrower than the 1800mm allowed.
The benefit will be that the new wider front wing send some of its flow around the outside of the front wheel, last year almost all the flow was around the inside of the tyre. Although the fairing will be higher than the front wing endplate (lower for 2009), it will help smooth its path back along the car, and not upset the flow to the rear wing\diffuser. Without bargeboard to manage the over the central fuselage of the car, this will certainly help. Expect a lot of teams to also run turning vanes affixed the inside of the front brake duct as Renault did on 2008 for similar reasons.


Scarbs....

I remember they tested something like this last year

I thought that extension housed some sensors...

[vis]

Aren't wheel covers banned for 2009?
If not, I'd be afraid, as I've never loved that piece of stuff...

[myurr]

You know what, now that the front wing is a bit curvier, I don't mind it nearly as much. Hopefully the final designs will be sexier than the current test BMW which aesthetically is awful.

[yzfr7]

Very nice.

Some points:
- the endplates seem much smoother than what BMW or (ex)Honda showed. But then there is apparently no space for an actuator to adjust the main profile.

- it seems like there is no separation between the adjustable main profile to the 'transition' profile towards the neutral middle section.

Putting these two together, I assume this first wing does not have the adjustable profile yet, and the team is analysing the flow at an 'average' incidence angle.


Another thing. Is there any regulation on what sort of device can be used to adjust the wing? Electrical, hydraulic? I was thinking about the structure of the front wing, where would I pass a hydraulic line or electric cable through/behind the pillars and middle section. Or worse, how to change wings in case of contact? Could it be some short-range radio signal?

[MattF1]

Could it be some short-range radio signal?

Wouldn't think they would use radio, as then the front wing would need batteries.

[scarbs]

I was guessing hydraulic actuator with a dry break connector between the nose and monocoque. the pipework would route inside the wing profile and pillar just as the current electrical conenctions do.

[WhiteBlue]

I don't think for a moment that the BMW wing is the shape they will have in Australia.

[vasia]

Some people will eat their words when we see the cars in Melbourne. It's silly to think the front wings for Williams and BMW won't change by the time the first race starts. BMW has admitted multiple times their 2009 car will look and be significantly different than their current F1.08B test car.

Also, Toyota has finally started it's testing program today, but no media or fans allowed. It is a closed-door private test. I'm really beginning to wonder what is Toyota hiding?

[Metar]

If I'm not mistaken, yesterday's Williams already had different wings - sexier ones, at least.