n smikle wrote:I am no CFD expert though! but I think I can stick in some exhausts like the Red-Bull's. The RB8 is blowing the beam wing and using the control arms to guide the gas - so It means I have to model the suspension and beam wing accurately before I do a test for that - I will try it when I get the time.
I think the Ferrai might be doing both approaches.. but looking at their outboard exhaust option, they don't have that curved surface coming from the exhaust tip to guide the air downwards - so it may not be as effective as the mclaren's.
Ok, thanks for that... I am also curious as to the Mercedes solution. It does seem to be the more conservative one, in terms of positioning (so far from the rear end). However, do you feel there is a case for F1 teams deliberately not going for too much exhaust blowing this year? I mean, with the off-throttle engine mapping ban this year, too much downforce coming from the exhausts is going to be tricky to handle at corner entries. Even a 2-3% loss in downforce, as soon as the driver is off the throttle, is something that can be felt very intensely inside the cockpit, especially in situations when you are on the limit of adhesion while braking and entering a corner...
To sum up what is a messy post: Do you feel there is a limit in exhaust-produced downforce above which the car becomes unstable to drive? Are the teams, therefore, satisfied with more conventional designs and are not willing (on purpose) to go extra-aggressive on that front?
Finally... Are teams allowed to store exhaust gas in blanked parts of their manifolds and release it as soon as the exhaust pressure on the main manifold goes down? I understand Ferrari were doing just that, last year, and God knows who else.