Various aero setups

[mach11]

hi everyone

over the past few grand prix aerodynamics has played a major role in determining the outcome of the race...

in Belgium and Italy Force India, Ferrari were scorching fast with their low downforce package... but In Singapore and Japan teams like Maclaren and Brawns were faster with their downforce setup...

my question is

1. is there any way by which one can identify whether a car has a high downforce package or a low downforce package???

2. what are the factors that one has to take into account when it comes to choosing the various aero setups???

i hope i made myself clear with my question...

[The_Man]

Firstly the teams do not choose an aero package. Everyone independently works on aero development of their cars and in the end some teams have developed a car that is better tuned and better handling in the high down force circuits while others have found the right combination in the low down force conditions.

Infact in all races the teams have to find a balance between their high downforce and low downforce settings. Low downforce settings mean more straight line speed but then cornering (apex)speeds suffers and visa versa. So for example the KERS cars can run slightly more downforce so that they match other cars in straight line speed and can cover time while cornering.

[tahadar]

since the purpose of low-downforce packages is to reduce drag and improve straightline speed on tracks like monza and spa, the easiest way to spot a low-DF race package is to look at the front and rear wings which are the main 'drag adjusting' devices. The rear wing usually stands out more because its much skinnier - i'm sure you will have noticed this in pictures from these races. In past years when the aero rules would allow various devices on the bodywork and sidepods, you could see a reduction or removal of some downforce- (and thus drag-) -producing devices to further improve straightline performance.

[Callum]

To just copy what tahadar said, this year the best way to find out what kind of aero setup they are running is to look at the front and rear wings. In a low downforce setup they will look pretty simple and relatively flat whereas at high donwnforce tracks the angle of the wings will be much steeper.