F1 technical update

[f1engineer]

F1 technical update just for the tech people here!!

A small but interesting change was introduced on the RB4 in Turkey, following on from the big aero overhaul debuted at the previous round in Spain, and it's one that will play an even more relevant role at the next race in Monaco. A deep V-shaped cut was placed in the middle-top of the rear wing flap, providing a vent for the high-pressure airflow impacting the wing profile in this area. Its purpose? To reduce the increased drag generated on the straights when running the kind of high flap angles essential on a tight, twisty circuit like Monte Carlo.

[f1engineer]

11 May 2008
McLaren MP4-23 - front barge board development

On all the cars the front end plays a crucial role in terms of aero efficiency and even the tiniest detail can make a big difference. One example in Turkey is the small barge boards on the McLaren, placed just under the front suspension's lower wishbone, which feature a horizontal arched section (yellow arrow). The height of this arch has been increased, providing a more pronounced channel for the airflow around the lowest section of the barge boards. This generates a sort of Venturi effect that not only provides slightly more downforce, but more importantly speeds up the airflow in this area so as to increase the extraction of air from under the front wing's main profile, hence improving its efficiency. It's a solution very different from Ferrari's vented nose, but one whose function is almost the same.

[Racin Jason]

keep them coming, very interesting

[f1engineer]

10 May 2008
Ferrari F2008 - reduced cooling vents

For this year the Turkish Grand Prix has moved from August to May and the lower temperatures mean teams can afford to reduce the number of cooling vent slits on their cars' sidepods. In the case of Ferrari, the F2008 sports only half the number of upper vents it would in high-temperature configuration (blue arrow indicates where the additional slits would be). This change slightly improves the car's aerodynamcic efficiency, especially on Istanbul Park's long straights.

[f1engineer]

11 May 2008
BMW Sauber F1.08 - front wing development

Although only a small development, BMW's introduction of long vertical fences (yellow detail) under the F1.08's front wing is interesting to note and similar to a solution introduced in 2007. In addition a horizontal winglet has been placed on the rear section of the fence towards its upper edge. The fence splits the airflow passing near the upper flap, while the additional small winglet prevents the air from passing too close to the element thereby reducing drag and turbulence.

[f1engineer]

12 May 2008
Williams FW30 - revised front bridge wing

Introduced in Turkey, this solution is an evolution of the aero package debuted at the last round in Barcelona. The upper profile of the wing is now divided into three sections by means of two small vertical fences. These allow a slight increase in the profile depth of the two outermost sections of the wing (inset), producing more downforce without having to increase the flap angle (and hence drag). It's particularly effective on a track like Istanbul Park, which requires strong top-speed performance on the long straights, but also sharp front-end handling in the circuit's twistier sections, including the notorious Turn Eight.

[f1engineer]

keep them coming, very interesting

No worries Racer, All above are the updates from Turkey. There are some interesting ones from testing at the start of the year, but Ramsay's on!!! I'll come back after and get them on.

[f1engineer]

The next updates are from the testing pre-season.

28 March 2008
2008 trends - traction control ban and tyre gases

This became a hot topic last year, since part of the information at the heart of the McLaren 'spy scandal' was supposedly related to Ferrari's use of a particular mixture of inert gases, in particular CO2, to inflate their tyres. This year almost all teams are experimenting with different blends of gases (air, nitrogen and CO2 are all permitted) in a bid to negate the negative impact of the ban on traction control and engine braking control. The removal of these systems means more wheelspin at the rear and more locking up under braking at the front, which in turn leads to more sudden variations in tyre surface temperature. These sudden variations make it more difficult to keep tyre pressures constant - crucial to the car's handling - hence teams are seeking the gas blend whose pressure is the least sensitive to temperature changes.

[f1engineer]

Here's a nice side by side comparision....

01 February 2008
BMW F1.08 - front wing assembly

It is interesting to note how all teams have transformed the front of their 2008 cars. To reduce drag generated by the pillars which connect the nose to the front wing, BMW Sauber(right) have adopted a similar solution to the one introduced by McLaren on the MP4-22 last year (left). Instead of connecting the pillars to the main profile, they are attached to the middle flap, thus reducing drag and improving the front wing's efficiency.

[f1engineer]

The famous shark fin.... There are 3!!!

14 March 2008
Red Bull RB4 - 'shark-fin' engine cover

During testing in Barcelona, Red Bull introduced a striking 'shark fin' extension to the RB4's engine cover (red arrow). The modification dramatically increased the surface area of this section and was introduced to provide better airflow to the rear wing and maximize the car's stability under braking. The new cover interacts in a very complex way with the rear-end aerodynamics of the car and its full potential has not yet been completely exploited. Such radical solutions are often hard to tune, though hopefully not so hard as to outweigh the benefits.

26 April 2008
BMW Sauber F1.08 - shark finned engine cover

Since last season it seems most teams have found from their wind tunnel and CFD (Computational Fluid Dynamics) aerodynamic testing that elongating the engine cover provides clear advantages in terms of rear-wing efficiency. By improving the quality of airflow directed towards the rear wing, the fin increases downforce and allows the squads to run lower rear-wing angles, enhancing the car's top speed. BMW Sauber have adopted this philosophy with their 'mini' shark fin. Similar in style to the one found on McLaren's MP4-23, the rearmost edge of the fin curves steeply downwards (top red arrow) and ends with a jagged cut (bottom red arrow).

26 April 2008
Renault R28 - engine cover shark fin

Renault have also included a heavily revised engine cover as part of their pre-Spanish Grand Prix aero updates. This full-height shark fin profile (circled) is almost identical to the one introduced by Red Bull before the season's opening race. This revision has been made to improve the car's rear-end efficiency and balance, and improve its straight-line stability at high speeds. This addition, according to a Renault engineer, is not just for the Barcelona race but will be used for the season's remaining races, albeit with ongoing development changes.

[f1engineer]

Just in case you needed a wheelie good ecksplunayshun

14 March 2008
Ferrari F2008 - steering wheel revisions

With the F2008's overall balance looking strong since its debut, Ferrari have concentrated their efforts on the car's finer points. One interesting improvement has been the revised layout of the steering wheel's switches, which have been changed to better suit the drivers' preferences. The switch that manages the mid-corner differential set-up (1) has been placed at the top of the central column, while the switch for the corner entry differential set-up remains in the same position. The commonly-used control for managing the differential on the exits of corners (2) has been moved to the top right, while the 'mix' (4) and 'revs' (5) switches have been moved to the left-hand side, as they are used less frequently.

[Matt]

Great stuff F1e, would be great if you kept this updated throughout the year. My favorite part in F1 Racing magazine in the past was the tech updates for each race which they for some reason don't do anymore

[f1engineer]

Great stuff F1e, would be great if you kept this updated throughout the year. My favorite part in F1 Racing magazine in the past was the tech updates for each race which they for some reason don't do anymore

Thanks Matt, It's all in the official F1 website, but i like having it here
The wording is a little subjective, and they are mainly aero updates, but the artwork is worth a million bucks!!! I'll keep it up, but I'm out on the 5th of June and will be working solid until October. I'll make the time to update it about every 2 weeks from June 5th.

[2xFault]

I agree with the artwork, looks gorgeous.

[f1engineer]

Here's the info on "Elephant Ears"......27 April 2008
Honda RA108 - 'elephant ear' nose wings

This solution, debuted in Spain, is Honda's radical-looking interpretation of the nose winglets introduced by BMW Sauber to optimise the car's balance. They don't generate significant downforce, but instead help divert airflow horizontally, improving the quality of the airflow directed to the car's rear end and to its sidepod inlets. Honda, like BMW Sauber, have followed the common fashion this year of dramatically narrowing the lower section of the sidepods, reducing both the cross-sectional area of the inlets and the surface area of the radiators within. This reduction makes the effective channelling of airflow into the inlets even more crucial for effective cooling.

[f1engineer]

And now BMW for your comparisions......

14 March 2008
BMW Sauber F1.08 - nose winglets

This is, without doubt, one of the most radical solutions seen so far in 2008 and was introduced by BMW Sauber to try to optimise the F1.08's balance. The solution provides a better quality of airflow to the car's sidepod inlets and rear end, without generating a noticeable amount of downforce. The on-board camera housings (1) have been placed at a level where they redirect air towards the 'delta winglets' (2), thus improving the flow of air to the car's sidepods. This is especially important, as BMW Sauber have followed the trend to taper the car's sidepods at the bottom, with smaller inlets and radiators of a smaller cross-sectional area.

[ninwishes]

These are great, F1E - those drawings/graphics are just...


edit~'cos I'm too bloody tired to spell properly. 

[f1engineer]

Here's a great explaination if you love the slow motion pictures of the cars cornering, even if it is a very simple explaination.

05 May 2005
Barcelona - tyre dynamics and deformation

The car is set up with a camber angle so that the tyre becomes perfectly vertical when cornering, maximising its contact patch. This angle change is due to the chassis' roll and yaw movement - it rotates around the centre of roll (yellow and black dot). Furthermore, the lateral forces on the car when cornering (large red arrow) make it want to slide on its tyres. This is countered by the controlled deformation of the tyre shoulder (large yellow dot).

[f1engineer]

I'll dig up some old stuff on Monaco set-up, even if some think it's not too important

16 May 2005
Monaco set-up - increased steering angles

Negotiating Monaco's tight confines requires greater steering angles (2) than normal (1). To allow for this, the front suspension is modified, cutting into the wishbones (yellow) to stop the wheel rims touching them. To compensate, additional carbon-fibre reinforcements keep the structure solid and ensure it withstands the huge stresses caused by the bumps and accelerative and braking forces.

[f1engineer]

16 May 2005
Monaco set-up - dampers

Monte Carlo's bumpy circuit forces teams to use greater ride heights, close to those normally reserved for wet conditions. To absorb the bumps, damper (orange arrow) and torsion bar (in blue) settings are softer. This makes the car easier to drive in tight corners. The downside is reduced aero efficiency, but this is of little relevance here due to the low average speeds.