Post here all non technical related topics about Formula One. This includes race results, discussions, testing analysis etc. TV coverage and other personal questions should be in Off topic chat.
I have just watched the practice session and i noticed that the Mclaren was kicking up spray alot higher then some of the other cars The Redbull and Brawn wern't much lower. The Renault spray didnt seem to go anywhere near as high. i was just wondering if this is a good indication as to how much downforce the rear diffuser and wing is actually giving the cars.
why was it coming out from the middle of the car? Look closely from the tyres it doesnt go that high but from the central section of the car that where the spray is thrown up.
spray from the middle of the car would be from aero - wings diffuser etc. Anthony Davidson was commenting on just that (and how much disturbance the open wheels create) during the session.
i know its from the wing and diffuser. My question was is the spray a good indication as to how much downforce the rear diffuser and wing is actually giving the cars. What do i have to do to get a straight answer around here lol
Naa, you wont really get an indicative reading as the Renault you were talking about was running a high-downforce wing for most of the session in the rain. Also, you have to make sure you are comparing them at the exact same point on the circuit - aero loading increases exponentially with speed, afterall
I'm going to be a little bit of a contrarian here, and say that while you cannot use water spray as a makeshift wind tunnel, it is a valid indicator of the shape and extent of the low pressure area behind the car. Given that wing size, height, etc are all carefully regulated I think you can draw a reasonable comparison between the cars. The main variable to watch for would be in ride height settings which can vary quite a bit in the rain, though again, I imagine that most teams will wind up being in the same place at Spa because of Au Rouge. And of course, making sure that all your comparisons include use of the same tire.
EDIT: After watching P2 I was surprised at the wide variety of rear wing settings, enough that if P1 (which I couldn't see) were similar I would agree that little could be learned from water spray. The stills I saw of P1 also made it look like the track was unevenly wet. So again, not good for comparisons.
