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[img][URL=http:624:454]http://img490.imageshack.us/img490/2186/ferrarisv7.jpg[/img]

Anybody has an idea as to what these triangles in the picture are ment for? I know Ferrari have put 'em on even before the start of the season, but never saw it analysed. Are they for guiding the air down towards the floor? Is it the air that would else be "lost" and doesn't go into the sidepods? Or is it there to improve the flow into the sidepods? Are they creating downforce? What do you think?

My guess is for ventilation into the cockpit, a much needed cooling effect for the drivers

Good eye though !

i thought VG's at first.

looks more like its directing the air downwards and not upwards towards the cockpit.

Perhaps its there to encourage more flow into the floor as suggested to increase downforce.

it doesn't look to me like it would be useful for ay of those things. it looks to me like a fair bit of turbulence would be shed of the back of it, maybe. I wonder what it is they are trying to accomplish.

At such an extreme angle to the airflow, it has to generate a strong vortex. This would travel along the area where the red and black lines run, probably making this area very low pressure. With the flat plate of the underbody (air doesn't like flowing around sharp corners against rounded)separating the sides of the sidepods from the underboy, this would allow the underbody to retain it's low pressure. Physical sliding skirts have been banned, but that doesn't mean an aero substitute can't be in place.

You really think they could be effective to that extent? And if so, why haven't the other teams followed this? If what you're saying is true, they could bring some benefit to all of them...

Well, all the teams run sharp edges to the undertray to dissuade the airflow from sidepod to underbody. And all the sidepods are pinched in at the bottom to accelerate the airflow to maintain a low pressure zone. The small fin on the Ferrari is just one of their individual solutions towards their aero needs.

I picke dthis item up in my australia review on autosport.com, If it is a Vg its a very aggressive one, I had another thought which is it might be to meet the minimum width rules for the monocoque at the dash bulkhead, much like the fins we used to see along the noses of the cars in ~99. It appears to be at the rigth height and position next to the dash bulkhead to do this.
That would allow the chassis to be narrower for greater benefit, although the strong vortex trailing from the device would eat soem of the advatnage away. Renault have a similar solution in the shape of a bump on the monocoque in the same place.

Scarbs

Good point, maybe it does more than just one function. Meet the dimension requirements, energize that airflow in that area, and maybe contribute slightly to the side impact protection.

I like Dave's suggestion but I'd also like to point out the proximity to the lower edge of the radiator inlet duct. The vortex could be to direct or dissuade air from falling out of the radiator duct at high speeds.
Let's see if it appears when they return to the cooler climes of Europe - it may have been paired with a larger inlet duct.

i think its for outright cooling......as its a strong vortec generator, the low pressure might suck stuff(air) into the radiator inlet, like the chimney wimglet
combination doing it for hot air exit!!!!!

So what is the so-called 'hub-cap' for ? I mean i've seen them lots of times in the past,but never on a car on track,so i'm not sure what the reason for using them is....

Schumi Il Maestro wrote:

So what is the so-called 'hub-cap' for ? I mean i've seen them lots of times in the past,but never on a car on track,so i'm not sure what the reason for using them is....

The shape of the wheel covers create a more efficient method to displace heat generated by the brakes I believe. Last I remember, Toyota, Ferrari, and STR used this last year, this year there's probably more

This kind of "skating blades" are used to "reduce drag by detaching the boundary layer of airflow" from the body. "At the same time they improve the quality of airflow" directed to the radiator. Here you have the ones used by McLaren:

http://www.formula1.com/insight/technic ... 1/403.html


About the wheel covers we had a long discussion about them. Thank heaven no one was hurt back then... :

viewtopic.php?t=3402

Here you have the "simple sketch" our own Manchild gave to us (I think he missed a couple of arrows, or so he said later on the thread... ) :



Tomba has posted that kind of things at the development blog: check there first. Here you have his comment on the same covers by Toro Rosso, for example:

http://www.f1technical.net/development/12